In the Arms of Family
by missmissa85
Summary: James Kirk doesn't like to talk about his family, but he can't avoid it when his sister comes aboard a year after he takes command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. But Kirk's family issues are only the tip of the iceberg.
1. Chapter 1: Broken Heart Resistor

A/N: So, Star Trek is not new to me, but this is my first crack at a fic in the new movie fandom. The idea for this came to me while I was watching the film for the third time (it was kind of hard to swallow the first time around). I have a lot of ideas for it and I hope you enjoy it. Comments, reviews, and suggestions are always appreciated.

* * *

"Vee haf cleared space dock, Sir."

"Engine room reports ready for warp, Sir."

"Set a course for Midian III and engage at warp five, Mr. Sulu," James Kirk replied.

"Course laid in."

"Engage."

"Uh…Captain?"

Jim whirled around in his chair to look at Lt. Uhura. "Something wrong?" he asked.

She sighed and replied, "I know we've gone to warp, but I just received a communiqué from the space station. Apparently, we left a crewman behind: Crewman Rodriguez."

"Who is…?"

"Security detail, Sir," Commander Spock supplied.

"How did we manage to leave Mr. Rodriguez behind?"

Uhura focused on the screen in front of her and said, "Well, Rodriguez was guarding the cargo bay entrance during the loading of supplies and apparently a young woman exposed herself to him and then proceeded to incapacitate him. He's in the station's infirmary."

"Do we need to go back for him, Captain?" Sulu asked.

"Nope," he answered, hopping out of his chair, "but we do need to find the intruder on our ship. Spock, Uhura, you're with me. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn."

When they were all three inside the turbolift, Uhura asked, "Why do you need me?"

"You're a girl."

"I'm a _what_?"

"Fine, you're a woman."

"I do not understand how that is important at this moment."

"Our intruder is a woman," Jim began, "She might feel less threatened if Uhura approaches her."

Spock quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "That is a logical conclusion."

"How do you even know we have an intruder on board?"

"It is a logical assumption given the information you relayed from the space station."

"See?" Jim asked sarcastically. "Even he gets it."

The turbolift doors slid open and Jim commed the bridge. "We've arrived on deck nine, Mr. Sulu. No one else in or out until I say so."

"Aye, Sir."

Jim quickly stepped out and opened the weapons locker. He handed a phaser to each of them and said, "Leave 'em on stun and split up. She's gotta be around here somewhere."

Uhura rolled her eyes as she walked in the opposite direction from the two men. She rounded one corner before finding a crewman just getting up from the ground.

"She went that way," he groaned.

Uhura followed his directions with her phaser raised. Down the corridor she saw a human girl of about eighteen with dirty blonde hair wearing faded jeans, boots, and a beat-up leather jacket that was obviously too big for her. She whirled around and pointed her phaser at Uhura as soon as the older woman's footfalls sounded against the floor.

"Whoa, whoa, it's okay," Uhura told her. "You can put that down."

"Yeah, you first," she replied snidely.

"So, are you sightseeing or what?" Uhura asked, edging closer to her.

"I need to talk to your captain."

"Your subspace communicator not working?"

"He wasn't answering my messages."

"What's so important you felt the need to attack Starfleet officers and stowaway on his ship?" Uhura asked, her phaser still raised.

"It's personal," the girl growled back.

Jim appeared from the other corridor just over the girl's right shoulder. His face immediately scrunched up in confusion. "Mariella?"

She turned at the sound of his voice. "James Tiberius Kirk. You fucking rat-bastard!" She pointed her phaser at him and Spock stepped out from the other side of the corridor and laid his hand on her neck. She immediately crumpled onto the floor. Jim continued to stare at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

Uhura shook her head in disgust. "You son of a bitch!" she shouted as she got in her captain's face. "This girl's only eighteen. What the hell did you do to her?"

"Nyota," Spock admonished under his breath.

Jim's eyes flared in anger. "You don't know a single thing about me and you never have," he answered loudly. "This girl is only _seventeen_, and she's my sister."

It was Uhura's turn to look stunned as she watched her captain kneel down and scoop the unconscious girl into his arms.

"Tell Bones I'm on my way to sickbay," he said before stalking off toward the turbolift.

"I, uh, I didn't…" Uhura tried to begin.

"Report back to your station, Lieutenant," Spock told her quietly.

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

"How long do you think she'll be out?"

"Hard to say, Jim," Leonard "Bones" McCoy answered. "Vulcan nerve pinches aren't very precise on sedation time. I could give her a stimulant. Wake her up."

"No, let her sleep," he answered, brushing hairs from her forehead.

"I didn't know you had a sister," Bones said, the question evident in his tone.

"Half-sister," he explained shortly, "and my family is not my favorite topic of conversation."

"Understandable," Bones said, bringing up some readings on her bedside console. "She's malnourished and somebody's been usin' this girl as a punching bag for most of her life. It's gotten worse in the last few years too."

"Not all humanity is as enlightened as we'd like to think, Bones," Jim told him quietly. "I should probably be here when she wakes up."

"It'd be a good idea."

"Tell Spock the conn is his until then."

"Will do."

* * *

"So, the intruder was actually the captain's sister?" Sulu asked in disbelief over lunch.

"Yeah, but she must be a half-sister or something," Uhura answered. "I thought she was an angry ex-girlfriend at first and that kind of freaked me out because she's so young."

"Vy vould dyou tink she vas a girlfriend of zee keptin's?" Chekov asked between bites.

Sulu covered a grin with his hand. Uhura took a deep breath and said, "Well, you see, the captain is…"

"Lieutenant Uhura, may I have a word in private please?"

She looked up at Spock and followed him to the corner of the mess hall.

"Something wrong, Commander?" she asked innocently.

"As a senior officer, you should not be engaging in idle gossip with your fellow crew members," he told her flatly.

"I was not gossiping," she answered defensively. "They asked me what happened with the intruder and I told them."

"Lieutenant, you know as well as I do that it is not necessary to reveal the intruder's personal relationship to the captain."

"Her personal relationship to the captain is the only reason she's on board," Uhura hissed back. "And it's obviously keeping him from doing his job. He hasn't been on the bridge all morning."

"That is not for you to judge," Spock told her shortly. "Lieutenant, please follow my instructions in this matter and in the future. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir," she answered snidely before turning on her heel and marching out of the mess hall.

"As you were," Spock said in response to all the staring faces.

* * *

"I hate green beans."

"I hate Brussels sprouts. That didn't stop Mom from cramming them down my throat," Jim answered, smiling.

She groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She looked around and then attempted to sit up.

"Take it easy," Jim told her, gently pushing her back in the bed. "You're muttering about vegetables. Somehow, I don't think you're at a hundred percent."

She glared at him, but laid back in the bed. "What happened?" she asked.

"Well, you pointed a gun at me, so my first officer did this Vulcan neck thing he does and you collapsed like a sack of potatoes," he told her.

"That explains why my neck hurts," she said, rubbing her neck and shoulder.

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and said, "You're starting to look a lot like Mom. What're you doing here, baby girl?"

Her eyes filled with tears. "Isaac's been gone for a year. Dad is…"

"An asshole," Jim finished for her. "That's not really shocking."

"He has Merkerson's."

"Oh. So, a neurological disease excuses a man for abusing his own daughter?"

"He hasn't—"

"Bullshit!"

"Hey, keep it down!"

The squabbling siblings looked up at the scowling form of Bones McCoy. "Some of us have work we need to do," he grumbled before turning back into his office.

"Well, he's a ray of sunshine," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest glumly.

Jim chuckled appreciatively. "That he is. He's also a good doctor. He said someone's been using you as a punching bag and that it's been getting worse for the last few years." He sat down on the end of the bed and continued, "All of your messages have been about finding Isaac. Why didn't you tell me Dickhead was getting worse?"

"Aren't you a little old to be calling your step-dad a dickhead?"

"Never too old to call a tiger by its stripes. Answer the question, Mariella."

"You're not going to come home, Jim!" she shouted. "I can't take care of Dad alone. You help me find Isaac, and I get some help with Dad."

"Isaac is a low-life and he wouldn't help you even if I did find him," Jim retorted. "Richard Chase does not deserve you as a daughter, Mariella. I can get you out of that house."

"He's my _father_!"

"He's a son of a bitch!"

"What part of 'keep it down' didn't translate for the two of you?"

Bones wasn't scowling. He had one eyebrow raised in what could almost have been called a snarl.

"Sorry, Bones, we're having a family disagreement," Jim explained.

"I don't care if you're having a goddamn family reunion, if you don't remain calm, I'm kicking your ass outta here."

When he was out of earshot, Mariella asked, "Did you find that crab under a rock?"

Jim chuckled appreciatively. "No, he sat next to me on the transport to the Academy," he told her quietly. "Mariella, what sent you running all the way here?"

Her face scrunched up in pain as tears flowed freely down her face. "Dad's dying and he just wants to see his son one last time," she choked out. "Isaac's disappeared, Jim."

"He does that, Mariella. He has ever since he was seventeen."

"Not like this," she argued. "He always sent me a message or token or a souvenir or something, but I haven't heard _anything_ from him in almost a year."

"Well, he probably pissed off the wrong group of Naussicans."

"Aren't _all_ Naussicans the wrong group?"

Jim grinned and said, "True, but whatever's happened to Isaac, I'm sure it's his own fault. He's gone, baby girl. You gotta accept that."

"He's your brother, Jim."

"No, he's _your_ brother."

"And you're my brother, therefore—"

"Don't-don't try using logic on me," he told her. "I've developed an immunity over the last year."

Mariella rolled her eyes and laid her head back on her pillow. Staring at the ceiling, she said, "So, what happens to me now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jim, I stowed away on your ship and assaulted several officers," she reminded him.

"Self-defense," he replied. "That's what I'll tell Starfleet anyway. I'm not going to let them send my baby sister to a penal colony."

She smiled for the first time since she'd been on board. "Thanks."

He cupped her face with one hand and brushed away a tear with his thumb. "I can't send you back to someone who's gonna hurt you, baby girl," he told her. "I'm gonna call some people at Starfleet Medical and get him in a hospital."

She shook her head and wrapped her fingers around his hand. "I can't live in the house by myself, Jim."

"There's a solution for that too," he told her, a playful note in his voice.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

He grinned and said, "You could join Starfleet and go to the Academy."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "What? Are you recruiting now?"

"You're smarter than me, Mariella," he told her seriously. "And you're the best damn pilot I've ever known, just don't tell my helmsman."

She giggled and shook her head. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask," he answered. "Just have one more question."

"What?"

"Did you really flash that first guard before you knocked him out?"

She bit her lip and smiled sheepishly in response.

Jim laughed lightly and kissed her forehead. "Yeah, you're _my_ sister."


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Food, Good Family

"We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

"You know you're gonna have to explain everything to me, don't you?"

Jim eyed Bones as the older man sat down across from him. He pushed his half-eaten dinner away and leaned back in his chair. "And why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't tell me, all of these people," Bones answered, motioning to the crewmembers sitting around in the mess hall, "are going to start making things up and I really don't think you want that."

"That depends," Jim replied. "What are people saying?"

"Well, the prevailing theory is that she's an ex-girlfriend you knocked up."

Jim laughed loudly, attracting the attention of some crewmen nearby. Bones glared at them and they quickly refocused on their food.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that's what Uhura thought when we first found her," Jim said. "Obviously, you've figured out that's not true. Mary Ellen Chase, or Mariella, is my half-sister, my mother's child with my step-dad."

"Oddly, I possess enough intelligence to have figured that out," Bones replied, grumbling. "Who the hell is Isaac?"

"My step-brother," Jim answered. "Rich's son from his first marriage. He's a couple of years older than me and if you thought I was a troubled youth, Isaac made me look like a choir-boy."

"Well, that _would_ be an accomplishment," Bones muttered. "Your step-father has Merkerson's?"

"He was an asshole before his neural network started disintegrating."

"Did he ever—"

"No, he never laid a hand on me or my mom," Jim answered quickly. "I would have killed him if he hurt my mom and it didn't do him any good to try and hurt me."

"Why's that?"

"He wasn't my father. I wasn't afraid of him," Jim explained. "Can't say the same for Isaac and Mariella. Mom wasn't home a lot, and sometimes I'd find Mariella with bruises. She always told me she fell down or ran into the door. You know clichés."

Bones nodded. "Kids _do_ fall down and run into doors, Jim."

Jim shook his head. "Not long after Mom died, she asked me to take her to the hospital," he began. "Her arm was broken. She told me and the doctor she fell out of a tree, but the doctor could tell it wasn't from a fall and that somebody had hit her. There wasn't anything we could do, though. I'd never actually seen him hit her, and Mariella sure as hell wasn't going to tell the truth. I can almost understand. Rich is her father. Fathers tend to be our heroes."

Bones looked at his friend over his plate of meatloaf. "If your step-father was so horrible, why in God's name did your mother marry him?"

"He was good to my mother," Jim answered. "And he had a stable home on Earth, so Mom had a place she could leave me when she went off to study alien plants for the Federation."

"I guess I understand that," Bones said. "Now what's the deal with your step-brother. I heard something about Naussicans."

"Isaac taught me how to hotwire a car and just about any other vehicle, but while I stuck with petty crime, Isaac sort of made a career out of it," Jim explained. "He's been in and out of jail since he was eighteen. He'd come home every few months, or send a message or something, but Mariella says she hasn't heard anything from him in nearly a year."

"Starfleet Security probably has a line on him," Bones said, his mouth full of meatloaf. "You could give 'em a call. It'd be easy."

"I don't want to find him, Bones."

"Your sister does."

"She's seventeen. She doesn't know what she wants."

"It's not your job to tell her what she wants," Bones reminded him. "It's not like you're her legal guardian."

Jim cleared his throat significantly and stared at a stain on the corner of the table. Bones raised an eyebrow as he stared at his friend.

"You're _not_ her legal guardian, are you?"

"Well…yes, as of about an hour ago."

Bones' fork clattered against his plate as he covered his face with both hands.

"What?" Jim asked, slightly insulted.

"_You_ are not cut out for parenthood," Bones told him.

"And how would you know?"

"I had parents!"

Jim rolled his eyes and said, "Look, she turns eighteen in a month and then it won't matter."

"This is completely insane. How did this even happen?" Bones asked.

"Well, I asked Starfleet Medical to put Rich in the hospital and when they went to pick him up, he sort of went nuts and beat the hell out of a male nurse," Jim answered quickly. "They declared him mentally incompetent, and guardianship of Mariella went to her next-of-kin. That's me."

Bones groaned and stared up at the ceiling. "This is going to end in disaster," he muttered.

"Thank you for your vote of confidence."

"Jim," Bones said, leaning across the table, "think about this. You're the captain of the Federation flagship. What are you going to do with a seventeen-year-old girl, even if it is for only a month?"

"I-I don't know specifically," Jim answered honestly.

"Well, you should think about it, _specifically_," Bones told him.

Jim sighed and said, "I gotta figure out how to tell her first. She's gonna think it's my fault."

"It sort of is," Bones said before taking a large bite of his meatloaf.

Jim scowled at him. "Excuse me. I have a starship to run."

* * *

Mariella was making a face at her dinner when Uhura walked into sickbay.

"It's funny," Uhura began as she approached the girl's bed, "no matter how advanced our civilization get, hospital food is always bad."

"Can't argue with that," Mariella replied, eying Uhura warily as she dropped her spoon into the bowl of soup.

"I'm Nyota Uhura," she said, extending her hand. "We didn't really meet earlier."

Mariella hesitantly shook the other woman's hand. "Hi. Earlier was my fault. Sorry."

"It's okay," Uhura assured her. "So, why is Dr. McCoy keeping you locked up in here with bad food?"

"Something about my body not responding well to nervous system trauma because my blood pressure is irregular due to malnutrition," Mariella answered. "At least I think that's what he said."

"When was the last time you had a real meal?" Uhura asked.

"Well, it's not today," Mariella answered, letting the soup drip from her spoon.

"Come on," Uhura said, motioning toward the door. "Chef owes me a favor."

"I don't think the nurse will let me leave."

Uhura glanced at the nurse who was taking care of a young man across the room and had her back turned to them. She smiled and said, "I'm pretty sure Christine is more interested in flirting with that sick ensign than making sure you stay in bed. Come on."

Mariella returned Uhura's smile and set her tray aside before following the older woman into the corridor.

* * *

"We have beef stew for you and beef-less beef stew for you," Chef said to Mariella and Uhura respectively.

Chef was a short, stout man with bushy, brown hair tied at the nape of his neck. His cherubic face was formed into an eternal smile. He folded his arms across his chest anticipating their response to their meals.

Mariella's eyes widened as her first spoonful passed her lips. "It taste's just like my mom's beef stew," she told him.

If it was possible, Chef's smile got even wider. "The captain gave me the recipe," he explained. "I'm glad I was able recreate it so well."

Uhura looked at him and jerked her head toward the door. Chef nodded in understanding and excused himself before leaving the room. Silence hung heavy between the two women.

"So…you're a vegetarian?" Mariella asked finally.

Uhura nodded. "Have been for a few years," she explained.

When the conversation didn't continue, Uhura said, "Did you have a lot of beef stew growing up?"

"Yeah," Mariella answered. "Mom would make a whole bunch of it before she'd go off world and we'd eat it for months afterward. We were still having beef stew a year after she died."

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to your mom?" Uhura asked her.

"It's okay," Mariella said, shrugging. "She was part of a group of scientists working on a terraforming project and they were working underground and there was a cave-in. She made sure everyone else got out and she got trapped. She suffocated."

"I'm sorry."

"She died a hero," Mariella said with a slight smile. "I've decided it's a Kirk thing. Jim'll probably get himself killed doing something selfless and stupid."

"You know, that might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me."

Uhura jumped when she heard her captain's voice. He was standing in the doorway with a look of slight disapproval.

"_You_ nearly gave Bones a heart attack," he said to his sister. "I would _not_ want to be Nurse Chapel right now."

"Bet you wouldn't mind being that ensign she was flirting with," Mariella teased.

"Ha-ha," he replied mirthlessly.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Uhura said, standing up. "It was my idea to bring her here without authorization."

"It's fine," Jim assured her. "I know sickbay food is horrible. Luckily for you, I ran into Chef in the corridor just a couple of seconds after Bones called me. Could you give us the room, please, Uhura?"

"Yes, Sir," she answered before she left, taking her bowl of stew with her.

"What's wrong?" Mariella asked as her brother sat down across from her.

"Why would you thing something's wrong?" he asked as he picked a piece of beef out of his sister's bowl.

"You have that 'something's wrong' look," she answered.

He forced a smile and leaned forward on his elbows. "I called Starfleet Medical about getting your father into a hospital," he began. "When they went to pick him up, he nearly killed a man."

"What does that mean?" Mariella asked staring into her soup.

"It means Rich is officially unfit to be a parent."

"What does that mean for me?" she asked, finally daring to look up at him.

He took a deep breath and replied, "It-it means I'm your legal guardian now."

Jim watched the surprise, shock, and eventually the anger dance across his sister's face. She laughed without humor and said, "And they think that you're somehow _fit_ to take care of me?"

"Wow. No one has any faith in me," Jim muttered mostly to himself.

"You abandoned me," Mariella told him, anger seething in her voice. "You just left for Starfleet and didn't even tell me until you were gone."

"I couldn't do anything for you if you didn't let me and you weren't letting me," Jim argued back.

"You wanted this to happen. You always hated Dad!"

"How long did it take you to get out here?" he asked calmly. "Three weeks?"

"Just about," she answered, looking down into her soup.

"Rich never filed a missing person's report," Jim told her.

"He has a neurological disease."

"That makes him unable to control his impulses," Jim cut her off. "Mariella, he didn't care that you were gone. He was unfit to be your father with or without Merkerson's disease."

"That's not for you to judge," she choked out, tears streaming down her face.

"Actually, it is," he told her sternly.

"I hate you!" she screamed before making a break for the door.

Jim grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. He hugged her back to his chest as she struggled against him.

"Hey, hey, listen to me," he said, attempting to placate her. "I know this is hard, baby girl, but you were gonna lose him anyway."

"What do you care?" she asked, struggling a little less against him. "You always hated him because he wasn't your perfect, heroic father."

Jim grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "That wasn't they only reason I hated your dad, Mariella, but you were never one of them. I love you, I have always loved you, and _nothing_ could ever change that. You're my sister and I'd take care of you whether the government told me I had to or not. Please tell me you realize that?"

Her body shook with sobs, but she nodded as tears streaked down her face. Jim let go of her shoulder and drew her into a hug. Mariella wrapped her arms around her brother's waist and buried her head in his chest.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked.

"I don't know," Jim admitted, "but we'll figure something out. I promise."

She looked up at him, her face red, and puffy from the tears and said, "I love you Jim."

He smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, baby girl."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and alerts. I'm so glad this fic got such a positive response. Thank you all!

* * *


	3. Chapter 3: Mysteries and Miracles

"Well, I think I'll let you go this morning," Bones told a barely awake Mariella.

She rubbed her eyes and replied, "Where exactly am I supposed to go?"

"We're on a starship, so if you go to far you get sucked into the black nothingness that is the vacuum of space."

"Were you born grumpy, or is it a persona you've developed over the decades?"

Bones glared at her over his PADD. "From what I've heard, the captain's set you up in some guest quarters since he doesn't have a couch," he answered. "Someone should be by shortly to take you there."

"Any idea what happened to my shoes and my jacket?" she asked, throwing off the covers.

"I'll look into it," he assured her with a fake smile before going back to his office.

Mariella stared daggers into his back until she heard the door open. Uhura greeted her with a bright smile. She was holding something behind her back.

"Good morning," the older woman said as she revealed a pair of black, Starfleet-issue boots from behind her back. "Your boot were sort of…disgusting, so I thought you could use these."

"Thank you," Mariella said as she took them and pulled them on. "It was just good, old-fashioned Iowa dirt and manure, though."

Uhura made a face and Mariella laughed at her. "Obviously, you never spent much time on a farm."

"No, I only had a pet cat before I left for the Academy," Uhura answered.

"I had a horse when I was younger," Mariella mused. "We all did."

Uhura cocked her head and smiled. "I can't imagine Captain Kirk on the back of a horse," she said.

"Oh, Jim is a very good rider."

Uhura snorted a laugh.

"Wow. Your mind is really in the gutter," Mariella commented as she hopped off the biobed.

Uhura followed her out the door and said, "I'm sorry, it's just that your brother is sort of…"

"I know what he is," Mariella cut her off. "He's been that way since he discovered girls at age eleven."

"Well, I didn't think it was a recent development," Uhura replied.

Mariella didn't get the chance to respond. A wiry body rounded the corner at high speed and slammed into her. From the hard floor, she looked up at a wide-eyed young man with curly, brown hair and a mortified expression.

"Hi," Mariella said lightly.

"Hello," he answered in a heavily accented voice before scrambling to get up. Once he was on his feet, he pulled Mariella up as well.

"Where's the fire, Chekov?" Uhura asked him.

"Vhat? Dere eez a fire? Vere?"

"It's an expression that they apparently don't use in…Russia?" Mariella attempted.

"Djes, Djes, I im vrom St. Petersburg," he answered excitedly. "Djou know Vrussia?"

"No, actually, I just studied a lot of Russian history in school," Mariella explained, smiling.

Uhura cleared her throat loudly, immediately attracting the attention of the younger people. "Ensign Chekov, _where_ were you going so quickly, you put this woman flat on her back?"

His eyes widened once more before he said, "I-I'm late for my sheeft. I haf to go."

He skidded to a stop and turned around saying, "Sorry, sorry, vat's your name?"

"Mariella."

"Chekov, Pavel Chekov," he answered before running at break-neck speed toward the nearest turbolift.

Mariella turned toward Uhura who grinning mischievously.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing it's just that he's about your age," Uhura answered, as they headed off once more. "He only turned eighteen a couple of weeks ago."

"Really?"

"Umhmm, and he's single."

"That wasn't where I thought this conversation was going."

"Really?" Uhura asked incredulously. "You're the one who told him you liked Russian history. Who actually _likes_ Russian history? It's confusing."

"It's complicated."

"My point exactly."

"Life is complicated."

"I suppose that's true," Uhura agreed after a silence.

"So…where are we going?" Mariella asked.

"I'm going to show you around the ship," Uhura answered as they stepped into a turbolift. "You've seen sickbay and the kitchen and the cargo bay, so we'll start with engineering."

"That's not against some Starfleet regulation?"

"It is, but when Spock pointed that out, the captain said Starfleet could kiss his ass," Uhura explained.

"That sounds like my brother," Mariella admitted. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"Spock's the Vulcan first officer, right? Are you and him…together?"

Uhura's friendly manner fell as she stopped the turbolift. "Where did you hear that?"

"Uh…I overheard Nurse Chapel talking to Ensign Dormer about it and she said that she heard Scotty, whoever that is, saying something about you and Spock kissing before he and my brother nearly got themselves killed last year," Mariella explained.

Uhura sighed loudly and said, "I suppose I should be grateful it took him this long to say anything. Scotty is Lt. Montgomery Scott, by the way. He's our chief engineer whom I guess we're about to meet."

A few moments after Uhura reengaged the turbolift, Mariella felt a shift beneath her feet.

"We just dropped out of warp," she muttered.

"How can you tell?"

"I just-I can feel it."

"We shouldn't be getting to Midian III for another four days."

"Why else would we drop out of warp?"

"I, uh…"

The red lights flashing and the claxons blaring cut her off.

"Oh, no," Uhura muttered as the turbolift doors opened and they stepped into chaos.

"I'd say your problem is in engineering," Mariella said with a hint of sarcasm as a red-shirted ensign ran into her and nearly knocked her down. "What am I today? A bowling pin?"

"Get down!" they heard a man with a heavy Scottish accent yell.

Shortly thereafter, a small, green man emerged from the smoke followed by a round-faced man with two gold bars on the sleeves of his red shirt. The doors closed behind him, but he pulled a control panel off the wall to reveal the circuitry underneath.

"What are you doing?" Uhura screamed at him.

"Something shorted the emergency system!" he shouted. "Gotta bring down the blast doors or we lose the whole deck!"

"No time!" the green man shouted.

"Scotty, come on!"

He grimaced loudly while fiddling with the wires until a thick, gray blast door slid down over the regular door. Scotty laughed loudly and punched the air triumphantly. He then turned and ran toward the huddle of his compatriots.

"Get down! All of you!"

"I thought you said we were safe!" Uhura yelled at him.

"I said we won't lose the deck. There's a difference!"

They heard a rumbling from the engine room and the little green man muttered, "Oh, shit."

"Down!"

They all crouched down in a corner of the corridor. An explosion rocked the entire ship and they were thrown against the wall. More smoke poured into the already smoky corridor.

"Well, we're—a—live," Scotty said between coughs. "Don't think I know you. I'm Montgomery Scott."

"Mariella Chase," she answered, taking his offered hand.

"Pleasure."

* * *

"Okay, Scotty, what the hell happened down here?" Jim asked when he and most of his senior staff were gathered in the singed engine room. Bones demanded Mariella go back to sickbay, much to her chagrin.

"Well, this is your problem," Scotty answered holding up a clear canister about a foot long and eight inches deep with black crystals inside. "This used to be the dilithium matrix."

"What happened to it?"

"Best we can tell," Scotty began, handing the canister off to a passing ensign, "it was just faulty."

"When was it installed?"

"Last year when we had the core replaced at Jupiter Station," Scotty replied.

"Sabotage?" Jim quietly asked his first officer.

"It is possible," Spock answered. "I do, however, find it odd that sabotage would take a year for us to see the effects."

"Don' forget the emergency system shorting out," Scotty reminded them. "We still haven' figured how tha' happened."

"Well, our first priority needs to be getting back on our feet," Jim told them. "How long will it take us to get to Midian III at our present speed?"

"About 25 years," Sulu supplied.

Jim's eyes widened as he turned back toward Scotty and said, "Please tell me we have a spare dilithium matrix."

"We do, yeah," Scotty answered, "but it's sort of like a spare tire on one of those old automobiles; it works, just not as well as a regular one. It's only rated to handle the matter, anti-matter intermix for speeds up to warp five and tha's an absolute maximum."

"How long will it take us at warp five?" Jim asked Sulu.

"About 10 days."

"Captain, I canna recommend cruising at warp five on a spare dilithium matrix."

"Well, you're gonna have to make it happen, Scotty."

"It'll take at least three days just to install it, Sir."

"You've got until tomorrow morning."

"Tha'…would take a miracle."

"Then work a miracle," Jim told him. "Mr. Sulu, you have some engineering experience. Give him a hand. Spock, Uhura, you're with me."

The trio weaved their way through the repair crews to the nearest turbolift. When the doors closed, Jim said, "Spock, I need you to reassign any crewman with experience to engineering. Subspace communication is still online, correct?"

"Yes, Sir," Uhura answered.

"We need to tell the science station on Midian III we'll be late. Also inform Starfleet of our situation. They especially need to know about the faulty dilithium coming out of Jupiter Station," he told her. "And I'd like both of you to investigate what happened. Link up with Jupiter Station and see if you can find out where they got that dilithium. Spock, you have the conn until I get back. I need to check on my sister."

Uhura stared straight ahead and refused to make eye contact with Spock. She was surprised when he reached across her to stop the turbolift.

"Are you all right?" he asked with as much concern as he allowed himself.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You inhaled a large quantity of smoke," he told her matter-of-factly, "likely large enough to cause harm to the human respiratory system."

"I'm fine," she assured him. "The only reason McCoy insisted Mariella come to sickbay was because she was already weak from malnutrition and he wasn't sure how her body would handle the strain."

"Are you sure you are all right?"

"I'm _fine_. Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Until now, you have not spoken to me in nineteen hours. Why is that?"

Uhura rolled her eyes and sighed. "You called me a gossip."

"I merely asked you to stop talking about the captain's personal relationship with the intruder. I did not _call_ you anything."

"Your intention was the same."

"I had not other intention aside from quelling rumors that were no doubt already spreading among the crew," he said with only the slightest hint of irritation.

Uhura rubbed her temples and forehead. "This is so damned frustrating."

"What is?"

"Being the subject of every other rumor on this ship and then being criticized for explaining what happened after breakfast!"

"Why would you be the subject of rumors on board this ship?"

"Because of you!"

"Because of me?"

"Because of us," she said more calmly before turning away from him and toward the turbolift.

The silence lingered for a long moment before Spock said, "Perhaps you would be happier if we ended our romantic relationship."

"Perhaps I would," she answered stoically.

"Then from this moment forward, our relationship is strictly professional," he said.

"Good," she agreed.

He nodded curtly before reengaging the turbolift.

* * *

Jim stepped into the controlled chaos of sickbay and immediately spotted his sister dangling her legs off the end of a biobed. As soon as she saw him, she growled, "Get me out of here!"

He grinned and shouted, "Bones, I'm taking my sister!"

"Please do," Bones shouted back without looking up from the burn victim he was treating.

He put his hand on Mariella's back and guided her out of sickbay. When they were out into the corridor, Jim said, "Sorry you can't get the full tour, baby girl. I really wanted to show off my ship."

"Of course you did," she answered with an eye roll. "Do you know what happened yet?"

"Not really," he answered as they stepped into a turbolift, "but it was bad."

A short trip later they stepped onto a different deck and Jim ushered her down the hall and into a room. It was small with only enough room for a bed and a desk with subspace transmitter.

"Sorry, it's only slightly larger than your average prison cell," he joked sitting on the edge of the desk.

Mariella chuckled and replied, "It's okay, I broke onto your ship, that's sort of a criminal act."

He took a deep breath and said, "I have to ask you a question."

"I'm really beginning to hate that look on your face," she told him, sitting on the end of the bed.

"The last place Isaac worked was a dilithium mine, wasn't it?" he asked with a sigh.

"Well, the last place I know of, but that was a little over a year ago," she answered.

"Where was it?"

"Konossis VII."

Jim pressed a button on a control panel and said, "Kirk to Uhura."

"Yes, Sir," Uhura's voice answered.

"Have you found out where Jupiter Station got their dilithium?"

"Yes, they got it from a mine on Konossis VII."

Jim glanced at his sister before saying, "That's on the Klingon border, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Uhura answered. "Starfleet isn't supplied by them anymore because the mine started selling to the Klingons as well, and Starfleet Security considered them too much of a risk."

"Thanks, Uhura," Jim told her before turning back to his sister.

"What are you thinking, Jim?" she asked him.

"I just think it's strange the last place Isaac worked before he disappeared was on the Klingon border," he answered. "And my ship nearly blew up today. That's just too many coincidences."


	4. Chapter 4: Nebulae

"We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

"Why on earth would your brother have defected?" Bones asked Jim at lunch. "Better yet, why would the Klingons have _wanted_ your brother to defect?"

"He's my step-brother," Jim corrected, "and despite the fact that he's a felon, he's smart _and_ he has connections in Starfleet other than me. There was also probably a large amount of money involved."

"I think you're jumpin' to conclusions," Bones told him. "Do you and your step-brother get along so badly he would find it necessary to try and blow you up?"

"I haven't even spoken to him in years, but the Chases have a tendency to hold grudges," Jim explained. "Rich is probably still mad at me for stealing his car."

"You drove a working antique into a quarry," Bones reminded him. "_I_ would still be pissed at you."

"How do you even know that?"

"You bragged about it to some girl in a bar one time."

"Was she pretty?"

"As drunk as you were at the time, she was gorgeous."

"Did it work?"

"Actually, no," Bones told him. "You're not nearly as charming as you think you are."

Jim guffawed and shook his head.

"You know what Spock is going to say about all of this?" Bones asked him.

"What?"

"That it's highly unlikely your half-sister showed up the day before the ship nearly exploded," Bones answered, "especially if it turns out your step-brother is involved. My God, your family is complicated."

"Jim swallowed his bite of ham sandwich and said, "Speaking of complicated, how's your ex-wife?"

Bones dropped his fork on his plate and glared at his captain. "Go to hell."

Jim laughed lightly. He turned his head toward the door in time to see Spock come in just as Uhura was going out. They stopped and stared at one another before she nodded at him curtly before sidestepping him and continuing out into the corridor.

Jim leaned across the table and in a low voice asked, "What happened to those two?"

"They broke up," McCoy answered.

"When?"

"This morning."

"How did you find out so quickly?"

"How do you think?"

"Christine?"

"Nurse Chapel," Bones corrected with irritation. "She seemed excited. I think she may go after Spock, though why she wants that green-blooded cold fish I'll never understand."

Jim watched out of the corner of his eyes as Spock sat down with his plomeek soup at a table by himself.

"He looks so pathetic over there all alone."

"He looks the way he always does," Bones said, "except, of course, for when he's kicking your ass."

Jim glared at him. "Did Christine have any idea _why_ they broke up?"

"No, Nurse Chapel did not know why they broke up," Bones answered. "Why? Do you think you have a shot now?"

"Huh?"

"With Uhura. Do you think you have a shot now that Spock is out of the way?"

"Bones, I'm concerned because this effects my senior staff and therefore my entire ship."

"When did you grow up?"

"I'm a Starfleet captain and apparently a legal guardian to a seventeen-year-old girl," Jim said. "Most of that requires growing up. Have a little faith in me, Bones."

"I have plenty of faith in you, Jim," he answered. "Who brought you on this ship?"

Jim grinned, but didn't answer. Instead, he stood and said, "Find out what happened with Spock and Uhura. I have a starship to run."

"Why me?" Bones called out to him.

"You're the doctor!" Jim called back before walking out the door.

* * *

Chekov spotted Mariella almost as soon as he stepped into the mess hall. A civilian wasn't hard to spot on _Enterprise_. He chose a simple turkey and Swiss sandwich and coffee and took it from the food dispenser. Hesitantly, he approached Mariella's table and said, "Hello again. May I join you?"

She smiled up at him, and replied, "Of course."

An awkward silence followed as Chekov sipped his coffee and Mariella stirred the remainder of her minestrone soup with half a breadstick.

"So…" she began, "why are you getting to lunch so late?"

"I haf had zee conn almost all morning," he answered. "Zee…um…incident in engineering has vruined many people's day."

"They let an ensign run the bridge of Starfleet's flagship?" she asked in slight disbelief.

"I haf commanded zis ship in many crisis," he told her proudly.

"I think you mean cris_es_," she replied.

"English is not my virst language," he explained.

"No! Really?" she asked sarcastically.

His cheeks reddened as he stared down at his sandwich.

"I-I'm sorry, Ensign. I was just kidding," she said after another uncomfortable silence. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Is okay," he answered. "I im used to eet."

"You shouldn't be," she told him.

"Hmmm?" he asked with a mouth full of sandwich.

"You shouldn't let people make fun of you all the time just because you're young and have an accent.

"Dee people making fun are usually my superior officers," he answered. "I cannot vreally tell them to do or not do anysing."

"Not if it actually bothers you."

"Is no trouble."

"You got red in the face when I said something."

"Dat eez untrue."

"It _is_ true."

"Is not!"

"It is!"

"Is not!"

"I knew you two were young whipper-snappers, but I didn' think you were _that_ young."

They both blushed as they looked up at a sooty-faced Scotty. He grinned at them as he took a seat next to Chekov.

"What were you two arguing about anyway?" he asked them.

"Nothing," they answered together, though Chekov's reply sounded more like, "Nosing."

Scotty's grin grew even more mischievous.

Mariella cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me," before getting up with her tray.

Chekov sighed and bit into his sandwich. Scotty smiled and slapped him on the back.

"Don' give up on her, lad."

"Vhat? Vhat do you mean?"

"You obviously like the girl," Scotty told him.

"I barely know her."

"That's usually when you like 'em best, boy-o."

* * *

"Sir, here's Mr. Scott's latest report," Sulu said as he handed over the PADD.

"Got a headache, Mr. Sulu?" Jim asked when he noticed the other man rubbing his forehead.

"I've been listening to Scotty scream all day," Sulu explained, "mostly at Keenser. For a chief and assistant chief, they really don't get along."

Jim smiled. "They were all alone on Delta Vega for years," he replied. "They're practically an old married couple. According to this, we're not getting warp speed until tomorrow afternoon. Tell Scotty that's not good enough."

"Yes, Sir," Sulu answered grudgingly before leaving the bridge.

"Sir?" Chekov piped up from his station. "I belief I haf found a vay to safe time vwonce ve get beck to varp speed."

"How's that?" Jim asked, getting out of his chair and standing over Chekov's station.

"Originally, I plotted a course avround dis nebula, but since ve haf lost time travelling at impulse all day, cutting true zee nebula vould save a day," Chekov explained. "Vee vould also haf to travel at impulse, vich vould make Mr. Scott happy."

"How long will it take us to get there once we get warp drive back?" Jim asked.

"About sewen hours, Sir, if ve shange course now."

"Do it," Jim told him.

"Captain, I think it is unwise to plot a course through a nebula without examining its composition," Spock said from his station.

"Well, we have about eighteen hours before we get there. Use the long-range sensors and any information in the stellar cartography databases," Jim told him. "If you think it's too dangerous, we'll go back to plan A."

"Understood," Spock replied shortly.

Jim meandered over to Uhura's station and leaned against the console. "I need a favor," he asked her quietly.

"What do you need, Sir?" she replied, looking up at him.

"I need you to contact Starfleet Security and find out if they now anything about Isaac Chase," he explained.

"Chase? Is he—"

"Mariella's other half-brother?" he finished. "Yes. The last place she knows for sure he was working was the dilithium mine on Konossis VII, and that was a year ago about—"

"The time we had the warp core replaced," Uhura completed for him. "That _is_ a little odd."

Jim nodded his agreement. "If you can't find anything out from Starfleet Security, try Starfleet Intelligence," he ordered. "I don't really want to find my step-brother, but I _need_ to."

"I understand," Uhura assured him before busily working her console.

Jim didn't notice the slightly suspicious gaze his Vulcan first officer trained on him as he sat back down in the big chair.

* * *

After her shift was over, Uhura gathered the clothes piled haphazardly on her bed and gathered them in her arms. As she approached the guest quarters, she spied Chekov pacing back and forth on a short length of corridor muttering to himself in Russian. She grinned before rounding the corner and tapping the doorbell. She heard Mariella's voice from within before the doors slid open allowing her access.

"Hey, I asked around and got you some more clothes," Uhura told her. "I thought you could use them."

"Thanks," Mariella answered, sitting up on the bed and setting her book aside.

As Uhura placed the clothes in the drawers built into the walls, Mariella asked, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Uhura slid the drawer shut and turned to face her. "You're not used to people taking care of you, are you?"

"Not really," she admitted.

"Well, I have two older sisters," Uhura explained as she sat down next to Mariella on the bed. "The one closest to my age was still seven years older than me. They took care of me. I'd go to them with things I'd never take to my mom. But I never had the opportunity to take care of anyone because I was the youngest. I guess I'm just trying to make up for it with you. If it's bothering you, I can back off."

"No, it's fine," Mariella assured her. "I'm just not used to positive attention."

Uhura grinned and said, "Well, I think you're about to get a whole lot more positive attention."

"What do you mean?"

"Chekov is around the corner trying to psych himself up to come in here and ask you out."

"How do you know?"

"He's pacing back and forth talking to himself in Russian."

"Isn't he supposed to be some sort of genius? Don't smart people just do that sometimes?"

"Not him."

"We sort of had an argument at lunch today, so I really doubt he's going to want to ask me out."

"Actually, that will probably make him want to ask you out more."

"You're totally crazy."

The door chime sounded and Uhura's grin grew even wider. "Am I really?" she asked.

"Come in," Mariella said hesitantly.

The doors slid open revealing the curly-headed young man Uhura had previously seen pacing the corridor. He looked wide-eyed at the two women and stammered, "I-I vas just—"

"I'll see you later, Mariella. Bye!" Uhura said as she jumped off the bed. She pushed Chekov further into the room before the doors closed behind her. Mariella stared daggers at her back.

"I-I'm sorry," Chekov began again, "about earlier in zee mess 'all."

"It's not your fault," she answered, standing from her bed and walking around to stand in front of him. "I shouldn't have made fun of you and then told you you shouldn't let people do that to you. I just have a terrible tendency to want to save everyone. I think it's genetic."

Chekov smiled at her. "I…um…vas vondering if-if dyou vould like to see da Cygnus nebula?"

Mariella cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I didn't think Midian III was anywhere near the Cygnus nebula."

"No, no, not _actually_ see da Cygnus nebula, but see it in zee astrometric obserwatory," he explained. "It vill only be wisible to long-range sensors for a few more hours."

Mariella's eyes shifted around as though she were looking for an exit. "I, um, I guess that would be nice," she answered finally.

Chekov grinned like a child who just unwrapped their first bicycle. He extended a hand and said, "Come vith me."

She reluctantly took his offered hand and followed him into the corridor.

* * *

The astrometric observatory was dark and empty when they got there. The ceiling was high and domed. Steps down from the door lead to a semi-circle of consoles underneath the dome. The star field presently on the ceiling gave one the impression of stepping outside of the ship. Chekov almost immediately bounded down the steps and worked the controls. The star field disappeared and a red, sparkling field with points of yellow light replaced it.

"Dis eez zee Cygnus nebula," he said as he guided Mariella down the steps while she stared at the ceiling.

She spun around slowly as she took in every twinkling spot above her. "It looks different from the pictures I saw in school," she mused.

"I know," Chekov said excitedly as he worked a console. The ceiling shifted again and red became green while the yellow points turned red and blue. "Zis eez how I vremembered eet."

Mariella smiled brightly and nodded. "It reminds me of Christmas," she said.

"Me, too," he agreed.

She sat down on the floor and then lay down. "You'll get a crick in your neck if you stare up at it like that."

He reluctantly sat down on the floor and lay down with his head at a forty-five degree angle to hers. When he'd managed to calm his jittery body, he said, "Did your family alvays celebrate Christmas?"

"Um-hmm," Mariella answered as she stared at the nebula almost imperceptibly. "Mom would always try to be home on or around Christmas. Sometimes we would have to wait until New Years."

"Ve alvays celebrated after zee New Year," Chekov commented.

"Because of the Julian calendar?"

"Djes," he laughed, "ve know what day it is of course, but is tradition, you know?"

"That's what I always loved about Russia," she mused to no one in particular. "It was so disconnected, but so much a part of the world. It was, after all, the biggest nation-state on Earth until they were all dissolved after First Contact. I sort of always felt like that. I felt like I didn't belong in my family because I didn't have any sort of grand vision like the rest of them. And yet…I was the only one that was really connected to all of them. Funny, huh?"

She rolled her head over to look at her companion and found that he was staring at her. His eyes held no look of trepidation or even pity. He just seemed to be taking her in as quickly as his eyes would allow him.

She smiled uncomfortably and said, "What's Russia really like?"

He sighed and answered, "Is cold."

She punched him playfully as he laughed at his own joke. "Seriously. What's it like?"

He told her about days that never ended and quiet family dinners that included more than thirty people and would have woken the dead. He told her how his parents were disappointed about his decision to join Starfleet, but their utter pride when he earned his commission at seventeen. She told him about her favorite Christmas when she and her brothers each got a horse and the rush she got when Isaac taught her how to fly a hovercraft when she was ten. The Cygnus nebula became smaller on the domed roof as the space between to the two people in the room decreased as well. Neither could be sure who stopped talking first, but by the time the nebula faded completely, her head rested comfortably on his chest and his arms were wrapped around her shoulders.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and alerts I've been getting. I really appreciate it. I probably focused more on the Chekov/Mariella story than I originally intended because I saw Terminator: Salvation the other day and Anton Yelchin plays Kyle Reese in that film. Yelchin is probably the most promising actor of his age in Hollywood right now though I have to say I didn't particularly care for Salvation. The now-cancelled tv show was better, but that's another story. Live long and prosper y'all! And thanks again for the positive response.


	5. Chapter 5: Awkward Moments

"We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

"Well, this is awkward."

Chekov's eyes shot open at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Mariella stirred from her position on his chest and groaned groggily.

"Where are we?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You're in the astrometric observatory," the young man in the blue tunic answered. "I'm here for my morning shift. I have no idea what you two are doing here."

Mariella whipped her head around to see Chekov rubbing his neck and looking at her apologetically. She quickly jumped to her feet and said, "I have to go."

She was out the door before he could even protest. The other man in the room looked down at him and said, "Ensign Chekov, this is the part where you run after the girl."

Chekov heeded his suggestion and scrambled off the floor and out of the door. He made to the turbolift just in time to see the doors close behind Mariella. He heaved a great sigh and kicked the wall in frustration before storming off toward his own quarters.

* * *

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Uhura asked when she met up with Sulu in a turbolift.

"A couple of hours, which is why I have the coffee," he answered, holding up his cup. "I'm pretty sure Scotty got no sleep at all, so I consider myself lucky."

Uhura nodded silently and Sulu regarded her from the corners of his eyes. "I have to know," he began, "did you and Spock really break up."

Uhura rolled her eyes and answered, "Yes," through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he told her.

She looked at him in surprise. "You're not going to ask why?"

"It's not really my business," he explained. "I just wanted to know if it was true. And since you told me something, I'll tell you something; Chekov didn't go back to his quarters last night."

"What?!"

"That's what his roommate told me when I was getting my coffee this morning."

"Oh, this is really bad," Uhura muttered.

"Why? I don't think the kid has ever had a girlfriend. He deserves to stay out all night at least once in his life," Sulu replied.

"Not if the girl he stayed out with all night was the captain's sister," Uhura bit back.

Sulu's eyes widened. "That _is_ bad."

"This is all my fault," she said, staring at the floor.

"How?"

"I sort of encouraged it."

"The captain will still only kill Chekov," Sulu answered. "He loves you."

Uhura opened her mouth to protest when the turbolift doors slid open and Chekov stepped in. He looked slightly red in the face and he kept his eyes trained on the shiny toes of his boots. Uhura and Sulu looked at each other behind his back and she mouthed, "Ask him."

Sulu took a deep breath and hesitantly said, "So…Chekov, how did you…sleep last night?"

Uhura slapped a hand over her face as she shook her head. Chekov looked at both of them angrily before saying, "I do not vish to discuss eet."

"Fair enough," Sulu muttered as they all fixed their eyes straight ahead.

* * *

Jim flipped the comm switch and said, "Are we ready for warp speed, Mr. Scott?"

"Aye, sir…hopefully," he added quietly.

"What was that, Scotty?"

"Nothing, Sir," Scotty's voice answered strongly. "Ready when you are."

Jim grinned and said, "Mr. Chekov, is the course laid in?"

"Aye, Sir."

"Then engage, Mr. Sulu."

Sulu pushed the lever forward and the stars streaked by on the viewscreen. A loud whoop erupted from the captain's chair causing him to jump in his seat.

"Captain, I believe your comm line to engineering is still open," Spock pointed out.

"Thank you, Spock, I did notice that," Jim answered, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he switched off the line.

They all sat in the relative silence of the bridge. Only the hum of the engines and the beeps of the sensors reached the ears of the crew. Chekov was surprised when a message appeared on his console. It was from Uhura.

_What happened last night_, it read.

He looked around and saw the near-pleading expression on her face. He turned back to his console and replied, _Nothing._

_Why didn't you go back to your quarters last night?_

_We fell asleep in the astrometric observatory._

_Asleep?_

_Yes. Asleep._

"Lieutenant Uhura, Ensign Chekov, would you like to share what you find so fascinating with the rest of the bridge crew," Spock asked them.

Uhura's eyes went wide and Chekov went red from the neck up. Sulu stifled a grin looking at the ceiling. Jim laughed openly.

"It's okay, Spock, we're not in high school anymore," Jim told him. "You can pass notes as long as there's not a crisis."

"Thank you, Sir," Uhura answered tightly.

A boring hour passed before Jim wandered over to Uhura's station and leaned in close to her with one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the console. "Did you find anything out from Starfleet Security?" he asked her quietly.

"No, but there was memo I found that circulated at Starfleet Intelligence," she answered. "The company Isaac was working for reported it when he went missing. He just didn't show up for work one day about a year ago. His room was empty and all of his stuff was just gone, but there wasn't any sign of a struggle, so no _crime_ was ever reported. Starfleet Intelligence only noted it because Isaac Chase is your step-brother and you're…"

"Captain of the _Enterprise_," he finished. "You couldn't find anything else?"

She shook her head. "It's possible other intelligence on the matter is above my clearance level."

Jim groaned. "I was afraid you were going to say that." He rested one hand on her shoulder and said, "Thanks for your help, Uhura."

The look Spock gave Jim could only be described as a glare. Uhura noticed, but she shook it off as simply a figment of her imagination.

* * *

Lunch came and with it an end to their travel at warp speed for a while. Spock found no problem with the composition of the nebula and they entered it without any problems.

Jim got his usual ham sandwich and coffee and sat down across from Bones who was polishing off the remnants of his roast beef.

"So what did you find out from Spock?" Jim asked as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"Nothing."

"He didn't tell you anything?"

"No, I didn't ask him anything."

"But I told you to find out what happened."

"Hey, if you're so mature, you can do your dirty work yourself," Bones replied haughtily. "I am _not_ gettin' in the middle that Vulcan's mess."

"Chicken," Jim teased.

"Wow, you can't insult me any better than that?"

"Give me time I'm sure I'll come up with something."

Across the room, Chekov approached the table Uhura was at alone and said, "May I?"

"Of course," she answered, nodding. "I should probably apologize for what happened this morning. I shouldn't have been interrogating you, but I thought I might have literally pushed you into something I shouldn't have been meddling in."

"You did nosing," Chekov answered, shaking his head and poking at his grilled chicken. "I don't know vat I did, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Zis morning, ven zee duty officer voke us up, she just vran avay before I could stop her," he explained.

"What exactly did you do last night?"

Chekov's eyes widened with joyous enthusiasm as he described their night of staring at the Cygnus nebula and talking until they fell asleep. Almost the moment he finished, Mariella walked in. She waved at her brother and then made her way to the food dispensers without even looking in Chekov and Uhura's direction. Chekov stared despondently into his food. Uhura smiled at him comfortingly.

"You guys just went too far too fast," she assured him. "Talking for hours and revealing secrets is usually something on the third date at the earliest."

He smiled up at her sheepishly. "I im no good vith vromance."

"It's okay," she assured him. "Most people aren't. But if the other person is the right person, Chekov, they'll always forgive you."

"Sank you," he answered, smiling weakly.

"Anytime," she replied, placing a hand over his comfortingly.

"What are you doing?"

Chekov looked up to see the first officer looming over him with an expression one could only describe as angry.

"Sir?" Chekov asked in confusion.

"What are you _doing_?" Spock asked with even more venom.

"Spock?" Uhura asked quietly.

Chekov stood up and sputtered, "S-s-sir, I don't understand vat you are asking?"

"Are you challenging me?"

"What the hell is going on?" Jim muttered to Bones.

"Maybe he took their break-up worse than we thought," Bones muttered back.

Mariella stared at them from the food dispensers along with most of the rest of the mess hall. She gripped the edges of her tray more tightly as people started to move away from the coming confrontation.

"Sir, I vould newer challenge you," Chekov insisted.

"You are lying," Spock growled.

"No, Sir," Chekov answered fiercely, "you are vrong."

Spock rewarded the young man's insolent tone with a backhand across the face. Uhura yelped and Jim started forward, but Bones held him back.

"He could kill you on a whim," the older man reminded the captain. "Something's wrong." Jim could only watch the next minutes unfold as Bones quietly made his way to the edge of the room.

"Spock! What the hell is wrong with you?" Uhura demanded, standing up.

He turned his now-menacing glare onto her. "Why do you have to ask?" he hissed back.

At that moment, Chekov let out a frustrated yell and threw his right fist across his first officer's jaw. Everyone in the room let out a startled gasp as Spock stumbled against the table. When he looked up, he had a spot of green on his lip to mirror blood on Chekov's mouth. Spock did not hesitate before standing to his full height and releasing a series of blows onto the young ensign. Chekov stumbled backward until Spock grabbed his throat and tossed him toward the back of the room. He knocked Mariella's tray out of her hands in his abrupt journey and pinned her arm between his body and the wall. When Chekov finally collapsed to the floor, he was in her arms.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Are you okay?" she whispered back frantically.

"Nyet," he muttered back, struggling to breathe.

Jim rushed over to a tearful Uhura and grabbed her arm to get her attention. Before he could say anything, however, Spock turned back toward them.

"You," he snarled at the captain. "You always wanted this."

Jim's forehead furrowed in confusion, but he realized letting go of Uhura's arm was in his best interest. He held his hands up and said, "Spock, buddy, something's wrong with you. You're not yourself. You need to calm down."

"What I need? You have no idea what I need!" Spock yelled, lunging forward.

Bones chose that moment to step out and press a hypospray into Spock's neck. The Vulcan collapsed onto the floor with Jim barely grabbing hold of his shoulders. Uhura immediately knelt by his side.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked frantically.

"I have absolutely no idea," Bones admitted.

"Dr. McCoy?" Mariella's voice called from the other side of the room.

The trio surrounding Spock turned to see Chekov spasming and coughing up blood in Mariella's arms.

"Jesus Christ. Get an emergency medical team down here," Bones yelled at the crewman nearest the comm panel. "One of his ribs probably punctured a lung."

As Bones continued to bark out orders, Jim looked in frightened amazement from his unconscious first officer to his convulsing navigator. They were both his responsibility, and something was terribly wrong with both of them. Ship gossip seemed suddenly unimportant.

* * *

A/N: I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I wrote the end under emotional distress (meaning that my iPod has seemingly gone to electronics heaven and you never realize how much you love something until it up and stops working on you). Anywho, thanks for all the reviews and alerts I've been getting. It really makes it all worthwhile.


	6. Chapter 6: Blood Fever

"We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

"Hey, baby girl, are you okay?"

Mariella looked up at her slightly frazzled brother and nodded. "It's nothing," she answered.

"Actually, it's broken," Nurse Chapel corrected as she strapped a brace onto Mariella's left arm. "We've knit the bones back together, but you have to wear this all the time for the next couple of days and then while you're sleeping for a week after that."

"Fine," Mariella answered, staring off toward the operating bay where Bones was attempting to save Chekov's life.

"Christine, could you give us a minute?"

"Sure, Captain."

"And no eavesdropping," he called after her playfully.

She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes before crossing the room and checking a still-unconscious Spock's vitals. She avoided a vigilant Uhura's gaze as she went about her work.

Jim nudged his sister and said, "I asked you if _you_ were okay, baby girl. You still haven't answered me."

"I'll be fine," she replied, wiping away a tear. "It's just…a lot has happened in the last couple of days and it's just…it's a lot."

"That was articulate," he teased.

"Shut up."

He grinned half-heartedly and put an arm around her shoulders. "Life isn't always this dangerous on this ship," he told her.

She cocked an eyebrow at him incredulously and he couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, sometimes it's worse," he admitted.

"I think I know what's wrong with him," she said, motioning toward the first officer.

"When did you become a specialist in Vulcan medicine?"

"I'm serious," she said, shrugging off his arm and turning to look him in the face. "I think he may be going through pon farr."

"Huh?"

"It's the Vulcan time of mating," she explained. "I read about it in Ambassador T'Pol's memoirs."

"I've read Ambassador T'Pol's memoirs. I think I would have remembered something like that."

"Did you read the book on paper?"

"No."

"The Vulcan culture ministry censored all electronic copies of her memoirs, so the only complete versions are in print."

"That sounds like a crazy conspiracy theory."

"Be that as it may, the print version I found in the rec room is different from the one I read in school," she argued. "She openly explains the pon farr and how Vulcans lose emotional control and often become violent during that time. She also said something about Vulcans dying if the pon farr isn't satisfied."

Jim scrunched his eyes closed and rubbed his forehead. "Okay, so you're trying to tell me that if Spock doesn't have sex, he's going to die?" he asked her quietly. "I love you, baby girl, but that's kind of insane. Besides, doesn't Ambassador T'Pol have a degenerative brain disease or something?"

"That doesn't mean she's wrong, Jim."

He sighed heavily. "Fine. Where's the damned book?"

* * *

"That doesn't sound like Commander Spock at all," Scotty mused to the ensign who'd just informed him of the events in the mess hall. "The one time I've seen 'im lose his temper, the captain had baited 'im. Somethin' must be wrong. The only thin' tha's different from a few hours ago is that we're in the nebula."

"But Commander Spock performed the preliminary scans himself," the ensign answered. "If something was going to effect him, I think _he_ would have noticed."

"Run a diagnostic on the environmental systems anyway," Scotty ordered. "And find out if anyone took a sample of the nebula gasses. Somethin' about this doesn't smell right."

* * *

"Uhura, can I talk to you for a minute?"

She looked up at her captain and nodded before following him into Bones' office.

"Chekov's still in surgery," she told him. "His internal injuries were worse than Dr. McCoy initially thought."

"He'll be okay," Jim replied, sitting on the edge. "Bones knows what he's doing. I'm going to ask you something, and you're not going to like it."

"What?" she asked uncertainly.

"What do you know about…pon farr?" he asked hesitantly.

"It means 'blood fever' in Vulcan," she answered matter-of-factly.

Jim shook his head. "Nyota, you know what I'm asking, so just answer me."

She sighed deeply and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Vulcans have to take a mate when they go through pon farr. Spock told me he might never go through it because he's half-human. That's all he'd ever say about it, and I never wanted to press the issue."

"So, he didn't tell you it causes a neurochemical imbalance that can cause Vulcans to lash out in violent rages, and if it's not dealt with, will kill him," Jim told her.

"What? How could you possibly know any of that?"

"It's all in a print copy of Ambassador T'Pol's memoirs," he answered. "I didn't really believe it at first, but then I realized he only attacked people who were with you. It's about you. I think he's chosen you as his mate."

"No," she said, shaking her head bitterly. "Just yesterday he—"

"He loves you," Jim cut her off.

Her jaw set angrily as she said, "He's never told _me_ that, I know he didn't tell you that."

"I didn't let him," Jim explained. "It was last year when we were trying to stop Nero and he asked me to tell you something if he didn't make it. Well, there was no way in hell I was going to deliver the dead guy loved you message. And if he didn't make it, I probably wasn't going to either and it wouldn't have mattered."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything," Jim corrected her. "I'm going to talk to Bones about this, but that man needs you right now, Nyota. I want you to think about that."

"Why do you keep calling me Nyota?" she asked him quietly.

"I'm not talking to you as your captain right now," he answered. "I'm talking to you as a man whose friend is in trouble."

She nodded silently and walked out of the room to take up her vigil by Spock's bedside once more. Jim sat and waited another ten minutes before a bedraggled bones walked in still wearing his surgical scrubs.

"Well?" Jim asked.

Bones sighed and said, "If Spock had thrown him any harder, his spinal cord would have snapped and he'd have died on the mess hall floor. He sustained damage to almost every organ system, all of which I've repaired. He'll be back to his irritating self in a couple of weeks."

"And Spock?"

Bones shook his head as he sat down behind his desk. "I don't understand it," he admitted. "He has a neurochemical imbalance that's pumping adrenalin into his system. I can't figure out what's causing it and if it keeps up, it's gonna kill him."

"I was afraid you were gonna say that," Jim replied. "Bones, what do you know about pon farr?"

Both of the other man's eyebrows arched in surprise. "I know that the Vulcans didn't like to talk about it before their planet got sucked into a black hole and they talk about it even less now," he answered. "But from what I've _heard_, it could explain his symptoms."

"Get a hold of a Vulcan doctor," Jim ordered. "Find out if there's anything we can do to help Spock without creating an awkward situation for anyone."

"I'll try, but I don't know how much good it'll do."

"Tell them a man's life depends on it," Jim told him before purposefully walking out of sickbay.

* * *

"Bloody hell!" Scotty exclaimed. "Are you seein' this? Please tell me you're seein' this?"

Keenser looked at him, but said nothing.

"Recalibrate the environmental filters to capture all this mess, and find out who the hell thought it was a good idea to beam aboard space dust without followin' proper containment procedure," Scotty barked out. "And get the captain and Dr. McCoy down here. They're goin' to want to see this."

* * *

"Did you find anything out?" Jim asked as Bones joined him on his journey to engineering.

The man looked slightly less haggard in his regular duty uniform, but he wasn't anymore upbeat. "I found the underlying cause for Spock's…outburst," he answered. "There's some unidentified microbes in our air filtration system. They don't seem to have an effect on anyone else, but they've infected Spock's system. I'm pretty sure I can get rid of them, but the Vulcan doctor I talked to warned me that might not fix the problem. Most of the time, once it begins, there's only one of two ways the blood fever ends."

"I really don't like the sound of that," Jim muttered as the doors slid open and they walked into engineering.

"Ah, Captain, Doctor," Scotty greeted them from his place next to a console with Keenser and a nervous science officer. "I heard what happened at lunch and somethin' about it just didn' set right with me. We had a glitch in the emergency systems yesterday, so I thought there might be somethin' similar happenin' in the environmental systems. We found these microbes the computer didn't identify and therefore didn't filter out of our air supply."

Bones leaned in to get a closer look at the image Scotty brought up on the console. "These are the same microbes that have attached themselves to Spock's system," he told them. "How the hell did they even get on the ship?"

Scotty held a hand out to the nervous scientist and said, "Ask 'im."

"I-I study particulates in nebulae. I-i-it's what I do," the officer sputtered. "I took a sample, but I had the proper authorization."

"But you didn' use the proper containment, did you, lad?" Scotty asked him rhetorically. "When your space dust got on board, the microbes frozen inside thawed instantly and got into the air. If it had been somethin' else, all of us could be dead right now."

Keenser rolled his eyes at the drama of Scotty's speech. The officer bit his lip and looked as though he was on the verge of tears. Jim put a hand on Scotty's shoulder and stepped in front of him to face the younger man.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Lieutenant George Castille, Sir."

"Lieutenant Castille," Jim began calmly, "because of your carelessness, an eighteen-year-old nearly lost his life, and this ship's first officer still might lose his. You're lucky I'm not busting your ass back to Crewman, Third Class right now. But _I_ am going to follow procedures and let the courts martial try on Midian III. You're confined to quarters until further notice. Get the hell out of my sight."

The lieutenant rushed to comply. Jim looked back at his chief engineer and gratefully clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks for looking into this, Scotty."

"Just doin' my job, Sir," he answered. "We're ready for warp as soon as we clear the nebula."

Jim nodded and turned with Bones on his heels. Once they were in the relative privacy of the turbolift, Jim said, "Treat Spock for the microbes, but we need to prepare Uhura for what might happen next."

"You mean you need to prepare her," Bones corrected. "I'm still not getting in the middle of that Vulcan's mess."

Jim rolled his eyes and sighed, saying, "Fine, I'll talk to her again. This was supposed to be a simple supply mission. Why did it have to become so dramatic?"

* * *

Mariella's eyes brightened as Chekov began to stir on the biobed. She waited another couple of minutes before his eyes fluttered open and his head turned toward her.

"Hi," she said, smiling brightly.

"Hello," he answered uncertainly. "Am I avake?"

"Yeah, you're awake," she assured him.

"Dyour arm? Eez eet okay?"

"My arm is fine," she answered. "How are you feeling?"

"I veel…like an ox eez sitting on my shest."

Mariella chuckled lightly. "One of your ribs punctured a lung," she explained. "You'll probably have difficulty breathing for a while. I heard Dr. McCoy say you're not going to be able to return to duty for at least two weeks."

Chekov groaned. "I vill go shtir-crazy before zen," he told her.

"That's why I brought you a book," she said, holding up the hardcover volume.

"Vat eez eet?"

"Well, I remembered you said something about not reading a whole lot of literature in English, and Charles Dickens is considered only second to Shakespeare in English," she rambled. "This one isn't actually my favorite, but Mom promised she'd read it to me, and she never got around to it, so Jim read it to me instead. It's one of his favorites."

"Vill you vread some of eet to me?" he asked.

She nodded and opened the book to the first page. She took a deep breath and began, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Bones asked Uhura for what must have been the fifth time.

"Yes, I'm sure," she told him. "Just wake him up, please."

"Okay," Bones answered. "I've got a sedative standing by in case anything goes wrong."

He pressed the hypospray into Spock's neck and the trio surrounding the bed collectively held their breath while they waited for the Vulcan to wake up. Spock stirred and groaned slightly before sitting up. He looked at them quizzically before saying, "Captain, Lieutenant, Doctor. You all look…concerned. Has something happened?"

The other three looked at each other in surprise. "You mean you don't remember?" Jim asked him.

"Remember what?"

"Not much, just going berserk and nearly killin' Ensign Chekov is all," Bones answered factiously.

Jim and Uhura glared at him, but Spock looked at him in utter shock. "Why would I have done such a thing?" he asked.

Jim took a breath and replied, "You were exposed to some microbes from the nebula, and they caused a neurochemical imbalance that's obviously making it difficult for you to control your emotions. We've cleared the microbes, but the imbalance isn't going away."

"That is impossible," Spock responded flatly.

Bones huffed and said, "Good God, man! You're gonna die if you don't face the facts and deal with this. It's got a _very_ simple solution."

"Bones," Jim warned with a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Come on. Let's give them a minute."

When they were gone from the room, Uhura finally looked into Spock's eyes. "You know what this is," she said quietly.

"I did not think it was possible," he replied evenly, avoiding her gaze.

"Well, it's happening, Spock. It would be illogical to deny the evidence," she told him.

He finally looked back into her eyes. "Why are you here, Nyota? We ended our relationship."

"That doesn't mean I stopped caring," she answered, taking one of his hands into her own. "Spock, I don't want you to die. I can help you. Let me help you."

"What you suggest," he began, "will have consequences."

"I know."

"I do not believe you do. I do not fully understand them."

"We'll deal with the consequences when and if they happen," Uhura told him, an air of finality in her voice. "Right now, we just need to get you well."

Spock eyed their conspicuous setting and said, "I would prefer a more…private place for what we are about to do."

Uhura smiled and said, "Come on," before leading him out of sickbay.

* * *

A/N: So thanks for all the reviews and alerts. I really enjoyed this chapter, which is probably why I got it out so quickly. I added in a little Trek history with the mentions of T'Pol who, for those of you that don't know, was the resident Vulcan on _Star Trek: Enterprise _which predates the original series in canon. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7: Brave and Stupid

"We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

Jim welcomed three days of peace after the hectic series of days that just passed. His baby sister had broken onto his ship. He found out the hell she'd been living with since he'd left Iowa, and then became her legal guardian. Then his ship and his first officer nearly blew up. People managed not to completely loosen their jaws talking about what Uhura did for Spock to save his life. They were all really too afraid of Spock to say anything. He was slightly disturbed to find out Mariella was reading _A Tale of Two Cities_ to Ensign Chekov, but he didn't see any real harm in it. They were the same age and it sort of made sense. He just hoped it didn't go any farther.

He nearly cringed when Uhura's voice broke through the relative peace of the bridge saying, "Captain, there's a priority message for you from Starfleet Medical. Sir, I think you might want to take it in private."

After spending five minutes talking to the doctor back on Earth, Jim trudged toward sickbay. He found his sister laughing at Chekov's bedside. The ensign froze and gulped upon seeing the captain. Mariella turned toward him and gave him a slight smile. It faded as soon as she saw his expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you, Mariella. It's important."

She got up from her chair and handed the book to Chekov before following her brother out of sickbay. He silently walked her back to her quarters and sat her down in the desk chair while he sat down on the end of her bed. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "When they diagnosed Rich with Merkerson's, did the doctors go through the stages of the disease with you?"

She nodded silently.

"So, you know that in the final stage all the other symptoms go away," he continued. "Memory loss is minimal, they regain emotional control, and in a few hours, they die."

"Jim, what are you trying to tell me?" Mariella asked, already choked up.

"The director of the hospital I put your dad in just contacted me," he answered. "Rich is perfectly fine. He wanted to go lay flowers on Mom's grave. He asked about you and Isaac. He even asked about me, apparently. Uhura's got a subspace channel open, if you want to say goodbye."

His little sister stared at an invisible spot on the floor as she nodded. He stood to leave, but she held his hand in a vice-like grip.

"Stay with me," she said quietly.

He nodded and sat down on the floor next to her as she turned on her communication monitor. She maintained her grip on his hand.

"Mary Ellen. My God, it's so good to see your face," Rich's friendly, boyish voice said. "Sweetheart, why did you run away?"

"I was looking for my brother," she answered.

"Did you find him?"

"I found one of them," she said, tightening her grip on Jim's hand once again.

"Not Isaac."

"No, not Isaac," she confirmed.

"I think I'm gonna die pretty soon, sweetheart," her father told her. "I went to see your mom today. God, you look just like her."

Mariella glanced down at Jim and replied, "I've been told that recently."

"I never told you enough that I loved you, Sweetheart. I know I hurt you, and I don't deserve you, but I'm sorry for everything."

"I know you are, Daddy," Mariella replied.

"Have me cremated and toss my ashes into the quarry where that Kirk kid crashed my car."

Jim rolled his eyes and shook his head from his spot on the floor. Mariella forced a smile and said, "I'll do that for you, Daddy. As soon as I get back."

"Don't get in a rush about it," he told her. "I don't think I'll notice if it takes you a while."

Mariella laughed even as a sob wracked her body and tears flowed down her face. "I love you, Dad," she choked out.

"I love you too, Mary Ellen," he replied. "I feel really sleepy. I should go. Goodbye, Sweetheart."

"Goodbye, Dad," she said before the screen went black.

She slid out of the chair as the tears became more and more numerous. Her brother cradled her in his arms and let her tears soak through his shirt.

"He's not going to wake up," she said shakily.

"No," he agreed quietly.

"I'll officially be an orphan," she mused.

"Hey," he said, gently grabbing her chin and making her look at him, "don't you ever say that. You are not alone. You are not an orphan. You are right here in my arms. I left you once; I'm not going to do that again. Do you understand me?"

She nodded and tightened her grip on her brother's neck as he gently rocked her to sleep.

* * *

"Sir, Starfleet Medical would like to know your final instructions for your step-father," Uhura told him quietly as he sat in his chair a few hours later.

Jim closed his eyes and nodded. "He wanted to be cremated. Tell them to stick him in a nice urn until Mariella can come spread his ashes in the quarry where I crashed his car. He was real sentimental about that car."

"I'm sorry, Sir," she said.

"Not my loss, Uhura," he told her shortly.

"It's Mariella's loss, and you love her, so it's your loss."

"Isn't it a little late in the day to be so philosophical?"

"Never too late in the day to be right, Sir."

"You really are a woman."

"What's that supposed mean?"

"You love being right."

"Everyone loves being right."

"Do me a favor, Uhura," he began, "check on her before you knock off for the night."

"I'll do that," she promised.

"Are you okay?" he asked after glancing toward Spock's empty station.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He raised an eyebrow in reply. She sighed and shook her head.

"I'm fine. Spock's fine. And everyone should just stop wondering."

Jim rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

* * *

Chekov hobbled down the corridors of the ship a day and a half after he heard about Mariella's father. He still favored his right side where most of his ribs broke and he couldn't go very fast simply because his lung hadn't recovered enough for him to take a deep breath. He did his best to hide the thin volume behind his back as he pressed the doorbell.

"Come in," came the quiet reply.

The doors slid open and he found Mariella sitting cross-legged on the bed sketching in a journal with a pencil. She looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hello," he replied, stepping into the room reluctantly. "I haf not seen you and I vanted to make sure you vere all vright."

"I'll be fine," she assured him as she set the notebook aside and scooted to the end of the bed. "Uhura came by last night and we just talked. It was nice to feel normal. Everyone can stop being so concerned. You should probably sit down."

Chekov carefully sat down next to her on the end of the bed. He groaned in pain as he sat up.

"Should you even be out of sickbay?" she asked him.

"Probably not," he answered, "but I vanted to bring you dis."

She looked at the thin book as he handed it over. Her lips parted in surprise when she read the title on the spine. "Why, uh…how did you know?"

"You said _Tale of Two Cities_ vas not your favorite Dickens book," he answered. "I sought zis might be."

She smiled at him genuinely. "How did you find a print copy of _A Christmas Carol_ on a starship?"

He grinned and said, "Ven you vant to find somesing on Enterprise, Nurse Chapel is zee virst person you ask."

She chuckled lightly. "Thank you," she told him. "This is one of my favorites."

She then leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He barely had time to respond before she backed away and smiled at him shyly. His only reply was to turn several shades of red.

"Come on," she said, standing up. "Let's get you back to sickbay before you pass out."

* * *

Uhura tossed in her bed. Her mind wandered to Mariella, her sisters, her aunt who died three years earlier. Then her mind drifted to dangerous territory. She thought of Spock. Almost as soon as her thoughts fell on him, a picture formed in her mind. It was almost real. A brown, rocky landscape and a blue sky invaded her reflections. She recognized the planet. It was Vulcan. A familiar Vulcan stood on a precipice in dark gray robes.

"Spock?" she asked, coming closer to him.

He turned toward her. His face was not its normal, unemotional mask. His eyes were full of concern.

"What is this?" she asked him.

"This is the consequence," he answered. "This is forever."

Uhura gasped as she awoke and sat bolt upright, staring into the dark.

* * *

"So, she kissed you?"

"Is good, yes?"

"Well, maybe."

"How could it not be good?"

"Well, she brought you right back here afterward, right? Not really a good sign. Maybe she just likes you as a friend."

"Vreally?"

"Stop depressing the boy, Sulu," Nurse Chapel admonished as she set a tray of food on Chekov's lap. "You gave her the book, right?"

"Of course," he answered, looking at his food disapprovingly. "Vat eez dis?"

"A perfect balance of nutrients that your body needs to speed the healing process," she answered matter-of-factly as she sat down next to his bed and across from Sulu. "What happened after you gave her the book?"

"She sanked me, told me eet vas her favorite, and zen she kissed me," he explained.

"On the lips?"

"What? You weren't eavesdropping when he was telling me the story?" Sulu asked her sarcastically.

"I have actual work to do unlike some people," she retorted. "Did she kiss you on the lips or not?"

"I do not feel comfortable deescussing dis," Chekov replied, trying to shrink into the biobed.

"You were just discussing it with Sulu."

"Yeah, but you're you," Sulu replied sarcastically.

She glared at him in response. "Don't get snippy with me just because you don't have a life."

"I have a life," Sulu argued. "I just don't find it necessary to share it with every living creature I encounter."

"That's just low."

"Truth hurts sometimes."

"Uh…excuse me?"

Sulu and Christine looked slack-jawed at Mariella while Chekov hid his face behind his hands. She smiled at them while she continued to hide what was behind her back.

"Do you mind if I talk to Pavel alone?" she asked them.

"Nope," Sulu answered quickly. "We were just going to the mess hall for dinner."

"We were?"

"Come on," Sulu growled in return while grabbing Christine's hand and dragging her out of the door.

"I im sorry about zat," Chekov said after a tense silence.

"It's okay," Mariella answered, coming closer and revealing a small package wrapped in paper from behind her back. "It's just a sandwich, but at least it's real food."

"Sank you," Chekov replied enthusiastically as he set his tray aside and took the wrapped sandwich from her hands.

She sat down next to him and waited in silence for a few moments as he ate his food. She then cleared her throat significantly and said, "I, um, thought I should explain about earlier."

He swallowed and turned his head toward her with a look of slight trepidation.

"I…uh…probably shouldn't have kissed you earlier," she told him.

"Oh," he answered, his face sinking visibly.

"It's-it's not that I didn't want to kiss you. I did, but I-I…" her words wandered off.

"Vat is it you are trying to say?" he asked her.

She met his eyes and continued, "My father just died, and you were being sweet and actually, you've been nothing but sweet since I've been on board except for the whole knocking me down and landing on top of me thing, and I just don't really respond well to that. I mean, no one has ever been just sweet to me. Not my dad, or my brothers, or any guy I've ever known. But all of that is really beside the point, what I was trying to say is that I feel guilty because my father just died, and I kissed you because it made me happy. I hope that all made sense."

Chekov smiled at her comfortingly. "My great-grandmozer vas married to zee same man for sewenty-nine years. I vas five ven he died and I vremember how happy she vas at his funeral. Eweryvone else vas sad, so I asked her vy she vas so happy, and she said my great-grandfazer did not like to see her cry. He vould vant her to at least try to be happy. If your fazer truly cared for you, he vould vant you happy."

Mariella stared at him a long moment before saying, "I really want to kiss you again."

He laughed nervously. "I von't stop you," he told her.

She leaned over and pressed her lips against his. He was surprised when her tongue ran across his lips and he opened his mouth to grant her access. A hand cupped his face as his hand tangled in her blonde curls.

"Okay, visiting hours are over."

Chekov and Mariella rapidly broke apart and looked guiltily at Dr. McCoy.

"Ensign Chekov, do me a favor and take a couple of deep breaths, you're looking a little blue," Bones told him. "Mariella, get out of here now and I don't tell the captain what I just saw."

"Thanks," she replied snidely. "I'll see you later, Pavel. Bye." She briefly tripped over the leg of a chair before walking out of sickbay.

Bones looked at Chekov and shook his head. "You're a brave man, kid. Brave and stupid."

"Vat does _zat_ mean?" Chekov asked the man's retreating back.

* * *

A/N: I really like this chapter and I hope all of you did too. Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts.


	8. Chapter 8: Love Yet to Come

"We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

"Are we there yet, Mr. Sulu?"

The pilot chuckled and replied, "Couple more hours at this speed, Sir."

"And why are we traveling at this reduced speed, Mr. Scott?"

"If you would like to fracture a barely functioning dilithium matrix by cruising above warp four-point-five, Captain, be my guest," Scotty answered sarcastically from the engineering station on the bridge.

Jim laughed and got up from his chair. "Well, you can call me if that happens, Mr. Scott. I have a lunch date with my little sister. Mr. Sulu, the conn is yours.

Jim cheerfully made his way to the mess hall and found Mariella sitting with Uhura. They stopped talking as soon as he came within earshot.

"Okay, now you have to tell me what you were talking about," he said as he sat down next to his sister.

"Freedom of speech implies the right to silence," Mariella argued playfully.

"Not when it comes to big brothers."

"Especially when it comes to big brothers," Uhura put in.

Jim cocked an eyebrow at her. "You look tired. Are you doing okay?"

"I haven't been sleeping well is all."

"Why haven't you been sleeping well?"

"Weird dreams."

"Weird how?"

"I thought you were here to have lunch with me?" Mariella interrupted.

"In that case, I'm going to go sit over there with Chekov and Keenser," Uhura said, picking up her tray and crossing the mess hall where the other two were just sitting down. Mariella followed Uhura's journey. Chekov smiled at her as their eyes met.

"Should that concern me?" Jim asked her.

"What?" Mariella replied, whipping her head back toward her brother.

"You and my navigator grinning at each other like idiots," he explained sarcastically. "Should I be worried?"

"It's none of your business," she told him.

"Now I'm definitely concerned," he replied, standing up.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. "He's the only person on this ship close to my age," she explained. "We get along, okay?"

"I'll…pretend like that's true for the moment," he told her sitting back in his chair. "How are you really, baby girl?"

"I wish everyone would stop asking me that," she answered, turning away from him.

"Your father just died. It's the natural reaction."

"It probably won't sink in until I spread his ashes in that quarry," she said quietly.

"Was he really that pissed about that car?"

"I was three when it happened and he was still talking about it right before I left," she replied. "He was still pissed."

A crewman approached and set a tray down in front of the captain before nodding politely and walking away.

"Wow. They just wait on you hand and foot?"

"The perks come with the gold bars," he said, showing the insignia on his sleeve. "Your birthday's coming up."

"Oddly, I hadn't forgotten that," she quipped.

"The Midians are the finest textile makers in the sector," he continued.

"And that means…"

"They make a lot of clothes," he answered, smiling. "I was going to get you something, but since you're here, you can pick something out for yourself."

She cocked an eyebrow at him incredulously. "Were you really going to get me something before I showed up on your ship?"

He sighed and shook his head. "What do you think I am? I send you something every year."

"Last year you sent me an old leather jacket."

"That was the jacket I was wearing when I was recruited into Starfleet," he told her. "It's my lucky jacket."

"That makes it all better," she said sarcastically.

"Come on, what do you say about a new dress?"

"I don't need anything, Jim."

"It's your eighteenth birthday. It's kind of a big deal. You deserve something special."

She sighed and stared into the empty space on the table. "Fine," she answered.

"No need to sound so excited," Jim admonished sarcastically.

"It just seems kind of unimportant after everything that's happened," she explained quietly.

"Hey," he said, leaning in closer to her, "the living should live, baby girl."

She smiled at him weakly as the comm system beeped and Sulu's voice said, "Captain Kirk to the bridge."

"Duty is literally calling," she joked.

He rolled his eyes as he stood up and pushed his tray over to her. "You can have this," he told her. "I get a feeling I'm not going to have the chance to eat it. Love you, baby girl." He kissed the top of her head before going out the door.

She nibbled at the sandwich for a few minutes. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Chekov smiling at her. She jerked her head toward the door slightly before walking out of it. Chekov excused himself from the table and followed her.

"Well, that's interesting," Uhura commented.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid boy," Keenser muttered.

* * *

"Something wrong, Sulu?" Jim asked as he stepped.

"An angry woman," he answered.

"Well, I can see how you would think that's my area of expertise," Jim began sarcastically, "but you couldn't handle it?"

"In Mr. Sulu's defense, she was quite adamant about speaking with you, Sir," Scotty said from his station.

"Put her on screen," Jim said, settling into his chair.

A woman, no older than thirty appeared on the viewscreen. Jim blinked to adjust to what he saw. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail with side-swept bangs across her forehead. Alabaster skin covered high cheekbones beneath chocolate eyes. She was beautiful except for the angry expression.

"Uh, I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the _Enterprise_," he said when he regained the power of speech. "What can I do for you?"

"Where the hell are you?" she replied angrily. "You were supposed to be here two hours ago."

Jim set his jaw angrily. "We have been experiencing engine difficulties and have been delayed," he told her stiffly. "We'll be arriving at Midian III in ninety minutes."

"You should have informed the science station as soon as you knew you were going to be delayed _again_," she told him. "You're carrying very important scientific equipment that was needed to measure the results of a time sensitive experiment."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Jim asked, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Dr. Carol Marcus, assistant director of operations here at the Midian III Federation science station. And my terraforming experiment has been ruined because of your irresponsibility."

Jim took in a breath sharply. "Dr. Marcus, my first _responsibility_ is to my ship and my crew, and I will not risk either for any damned science experiment."

If looks could kill, the glare Dr. Marcus gave Jim would have severed his carotid artery. "I _will_ be taking this issue up with your superiors, Captain Kirk."

"Feel free, Dr. Marcus," he replied curtly.

The transmission cut off and her image disappeared from the viewscreen.

"I did not like that woman," Jim announced.

Sulu nodded. "She was kind of a…"

"Bitch," Jim finished.

"Uh-huh."

"Definitely," Scotty agreed.

* * *

"So, what is this?" Mariella asked as she lay on the floor of the astrometric observatory.

"It is vat zee night sky looks like above St. Petersburg zis time of year," Chekov answered. "It makes me long less for home."

"You miss it a lot?"

"I miss my family more," he replied. "I haf a vreally big family."

"I miss my family too," she mused quietly.

Chekov rolled over on his side and looked her in the face. "I im sorry."

"Stop apologizing every time I start pitying myself because of my family," she told him, propping herself up on one elbow. "It's my problem, not yours."

"I don't vant you to pity yourself," he told her. "You are a wery vorthy person."

She smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I can't tell if you're just that sweet, or if you're a little naïve."

He laughed nervously and replied, "Naïve eez no zee vord eweryone is using."

"What are they saying?"

"Mostly, dey say zat I im shtupid," he answered. "Dr. McCoy also said I vas brave. Vy is zat?"

"I'm the captain's sister," she explained. "You don't see the inherent potential for trouble?"

"No. Vell, yes. No, not vreally," he finally decided. "Zee captain has alvays liked me."

"Kissing a man's sister radically changes your relationship with the man," she explained. "Besides, I haven't spent a lot of time around Jim since I was fourteen. It probably hasn't crossed his mind I do something with my free time other than practicing in old cockpits."

Chekov snorted and then clamped his mouth shut as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"What?" Mariella asked, grinning.

"Nosing," he answered, a giggle just beneath the surface of his words.

"Pavel Chekov, did you just have a dirty thought?" she asked him slyly.

"No," he answered seriously. "Zat vas seweral thoughts ago."

She laughed and shoved him playfully. He gasped in pain and covered his side as a response.

"Oh my God, Pavel, I'm so sorry. I forgot you were hurt."

She leaned in closer and he made a miraculous recovery. He grabbed her face and kissed her hard on the mouth. After a single sound of surprise, she offered no resistance and even wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.

"This is even more awkward than the last time."

The broke apart and saw the same officer who woke them up ten days earlier. He seemed intensely uncomfortable as he continued, "If you're gonna keep this up, figure out how to lock the door or at least put your boots out there."

Chekov rolled his eyes and stood up laboriously. Mariella followed, holding his hand. As they walked toward the door, the officer said, "I'll do you both a favor and not tell the captain…or Nurse Chapel."

"Should I vreally sank him?" Chekov muttered.

"Yes," Mariella answered resolutely. "We thank you very much."

She pulled Chekov out of the door behind her.

* * *

Uhura opened her eyes to a rocky, Vulcan landscape. Spock stood on the same precipice in the same gray robes. She looked down and found herself wearing a simple, cream-colored dress she knew she didn't actually own. Her feet were bare, but she couldn't feel the heat from the rocks as she approached him.

"Is this where you lost her?" she asked quietly.

He turned and answered, "Why would you say that?"

"Your mother is what made you unique," she replied. "It makes sense you'd be stuck in the place you lost her."

"I am not 'stuck,'" he told her.

She smiled. "Yes, you are. But why am I here?"

He looked away.

"Why, Spock?" she asked more aggressively.

He stared into her eyes for a long moment before saying, "We are mates."

"We had sex so you wouldn't die," she corrected. "We are _not_ mates."

"We are mates," he repeated.

She sat bolt upright in bed. She was wearing her nightclothes because she had the late shift on the bridge. She grabbed her robe and rushed out of her door. She rounded the corridors and stopped, frantically pressing the doorbell.

"Spock! Spock, come out here and talk to me! Spock!"

"Nyota, are you okay?"

She turned to see Chekov and Mariella holding hands and staring at her.

"Lieutenant, it eez Thursday," he told her. "Commander Spock has midshift on zee bridge."

"Oh," Uhura said, her face falling. "I just…I was…I—"

"Hey," Mariella said gently, letting go of Chekov's hand and putting an arm around the older woman's shoulder. "Let's got to the kitchen and get some hot chocolate. I'll see you later, Pavel."

"Of course," he answered, watching as the women walked away.

* * *

"What happened?"

"I had a weird dream," Uhura answered, stirring her hot chocolate. "I just had a bad reaction."

Mariella cocked an eyebrow at her. Uhura sighed and continued, "It's a dream that's been recurring. I'm on Vulcan and Spock is there and he talks to me like it's really him and not just a dream and this time he told me we were mates. It's crazy, isn't it?"

Mariella grinned mischievously before sipping her drink. "You _are_ mates. Vulcans share a telepathic bond when they mate, or, you know, have sex. It's probably why they don't have divorce."

"How…could you possibly know any of that?" Uhura asked her.

"Ambassador T'Pol's book."

"You and that damned book," Uhura said, rolling her eyes. "Why did you even decide to read it?"

"Couldn't find a biography on Jonathan Archer I hadn't read."

"Is he like a hero of yours?"

"Absolutely," Mariella answered enthusiastically. "Before he was one of the Federation's founding fathers, or a Starfleet admiral, or the captain of Earth's first deep space exploration, he was a great pilot. And he had an amazing ass."

Uhura spewed her hot chocolate all over the countertop laughing. "I can't believe you said that!" she exclaimed, gasping for breath.

"It's true," Mariella insisted. "The man never got past his prime. He _always_ had a great ass."

Uhura laughed even louder.

"What is so funny you spewed choffee all over my clean countertop?" Chef asked haughtily as he entered the room.

"Choffee?" Mariella asked.

"It's my special blend of hot chocolate and coffee," he explained proudly.

"I think that's called a mocha, Chef," Uhura told him.

He narrowed his gaze at her before continuing, "Not with these coffee beans. They're alien. I bought them from a supplier almost a year ago. And don't worry. I've tested them. They won't hurt you."

"What are they called?" Uhura asked him.

"Rachta—something."

"Rachtajino?" Uhura suggested.

"How did you know?"

"It's a Klingon beverage," she explained. "Starfleet Intelligence thinks it's alcohol, but in context, I always thought it was some sort of coffee."

Mariella sniggered appreciatively.

"What?" Chef asked her.

"You've been distributing Klingon coffee on a Starfleet ship," she explained. "Klingon products are banned in the Federation. It's like serving Romulan Ale."

"Oh my God," Chef muttered. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that guy."

"What guy?" Uhura asked.

"The guy at the market on Titan," he answered. "His name was Chase Abrams or something like that."

Mariella's face immediately fell. "That's one of Isaac's aliases," she said quietly. "How the hell did my brother get Klingon coffee?"

* * *

A/N: In case anyone's interested, Scott Bakula is old enough to be my father, and I still think the man has a great ass. Just thought I'd let you know. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts.


	9. Chapter 9: The Race

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. It has been the summer of my discontent, to paraphrase Shakespeare. I've had my own health problems, two of my grandparents did stints in the hospital, and then one of them passed away rather suddenly. But, through it all, I remember something: "We do not stand alone...we are in the arms of family." - Tuvok to crew, _Star Trek: Voyager_, "Mortal Coil"

* * *

"Dr. Marcus is a little impetuous, Captain Kirk," the director of operations at the Midian III science station told him over subspace in the captain's office. "I apologize for her behavior."

"I'd like to say it was all right, Dr. Vizeri, but my first responsibility is to my crew. I was not informed that a couple of hours was going to compromise anything," he replied. "And for your trouble, I am sorry."

"Thank you for your understanding, Captain," Dr. Vizeri told him. "I've been asked to relay a message from our shipyard: repairs should take a month."

Jim smiled and shook his head. "I'm sure my chief engineer can cut that estimate in half," he said proudly.

"You have a lot of faith in your people, Captain."

"I'm not really sure faith is faith when it's based on past experience."

"Good point," Dr. Vizeri relented. "We look forward to seeing you in half an hour."

"See you then, Doctor." Jim terminated the transmission and started to stand up when the door chime sounded. His forehead furrowed in confusion at the odd trio that walked in. Uhura was barefoot and in a robe, his sister looked distressed, and Chef was out of the kitchen, which was Earth shattering on its own.

"Uh…what's going on?"

"You need to tell Starfleet Intelligence to look for Chase Abrams," Mariella told him.

Jim cocked an eyebrow. "That's the name Isaac was using when he tried to sell Firefly to that Rigellian when he was sixteen."

"Who's Firefly?" Chef muttered.

"She was my horse," Jim answered quickly. "Notice he was trying to sell _my_ horse and not his."

"Someone's still bitter," Mariella muttered.

"Is there a point to all of this?" Jim asked, steering them back to their original purpose.

"A guy called Chase Abrams sold me ten kilos of Klingon coffee at the Titan colony market last year," Chef explained.

"How do you know it's _Klingon_ coffee?

"He told Chef it was rachtajino," Uhura explained. "That's a Klingon word I've heard a lot in different messages. Starfleet Intelligence thinks it's some sort of cocktail, but I've heard it in context. It's a more casual beverage like coffee."

"And it's way stronger than any other coffee I've tasted," Chef added. "You would expect that from Klingon coffee."

Jim sat back in his chair and considered what he'd heard. "Do you remember what this Chase Abrams person looked like, Chef?"

The curly-haired man shrugged. "He was kind of a big guy. And he had a really nice face. It's probably why I was stupid enough to by ten kilos of a banned substance."

Jim and Mariella's eyes met for an instant before he said, "Not your fault, Chef. Thank you all for bringing this to my attention. Chef, you can get back to your kitchen. Lt. Uhura, please put some clothes on. Mariella, could you stay here a minute?"

The young woman waited for the other two to leave before she sat down facing her brother. He leaned forward on his elbows and said, "Do you really think Isaac is capable of treason?"

"I don't think he ever felt any allegiance to the Federation," she answered. "So, for him, it's not really treason."

"Selling Klingon coffee doesn't necessarily mean he's a spy," Jim said. "Isaac is a 'two-bit hood,' as Grandpa would say."

"He was on Titan selling contraband goods while you were at Jupiter Station having a faulty dilithium matrix installed," she replied. "Let's face it, Isaac is involved in something, and it might get us killed."

* * *

Midian III was one of the furthest Federation colonies. Its home near the Klingon border made it a tempting target. The native Midians were few and looked no different than humans on the outside. A generous and hospitable people, they welcomed the Federation presence on their planet. That presence included a massive science operation, a shipyard for repairs, and a garrison of MACOs to be first responders to any Klingon threat.

Jim, Spock, Bones, and Scotty appeared in the central market. A man in a sage suit and a woman Jim recognized as Dr. Marcus greeted them. The man, who introduced himself as Governor Ezelle, was friendly and inviting. Dr. Marcus just looked pissed.

"Welcome to Midian III," the governor said. "Chief Aarons at the shipyard has asked me to bring Mr. Scott to him directly."

"That'd be me," Scotty said, stepping forward.

"I've asked Dr. Marcus to show you the rest of our facilities," Governor Ezelle said before motioning Scotty to follow him.

"Actually, he asked Dr. Vizeri, but he was busy with an _experiment_," Dr. Marcus said pointedly with her arms still folded across her chest.

"Has anyone ever told you how childish you are?" Jim asked her.

She glared at him in response. Bones stepped forward and said, "Could you just show us around and leave out all the sexual tension?"

"Excuse me?" Jim and Dr. Marcus said together, equally insulted.

Bones smiled fakely and continued, "Now you agree on something. So just take us on the tour."

She turned on her heel and said, "This is obviously the central market. While your crew is on leave, this is where they'll be spending most of their time. The government buildings are all right there. The shipyard is three kilometers down that road. This is the surface science station. There's another one in orbit. That's your tour. Satisfied?"

"Dr. Marcus, I would appreciate an opportunity to observe the terraforming experiments at this station," Spock told her.

"Like you care."

"Actually, he does," Jim replied. "Me? I'm ambivalent."

"I can tell that," Dr. Marcus said snidely.

"Could you just show us the damned lab?" Bones asked haughtily.

Her blonde ponytail nearly smacked Jim in the face as she walked into the worn, modular building. They stepped through security scanners and directly into an old turbolift. The four of them barely fit in the space. Dr. Marcus elbowed Jim hard in the ribs. He swallowed a grunt of pain.

"Most of our work is done underground," she explained, punching the numbers harder than necessary.

"Why is that?" Spock asked her.

"You'll see," she assured him.

The turbolift doors opened to a dirt-walled cave filled with exotic plants and vegetation. Temporary lights illuminated the space, and a stone circle about ten feet in diameter sat in the middle. A dozen scientists of varying ages scurried about absorbed in their work.

"Fascinating," Spock mused stepping closer to the stone circle.

"That is over ten thousand years old," she told them. "We still haven't figured out how it works, but, best we can tell, it's what is terraforming this space. Similar devices probably terraformed the entire planet."

"Midian III was terraformed?" Jim asked.

"Ten millennia ago," she answered shortly. "Only trace evidence of terraforming remains, but it's there."

"That is most intriguing," Spock said, closely examining the stone circle.

"Who, exactly, did this ancient terraforming?" McCoy asked her.

She shrugged and said, "Not sure really. They passed into Midianite myth, but their technology was far beyond what the Federation has now. That's why we're trying to reverse engineer it. We could easily colonize hundreds of presently uninhabitable planets in Federation systems."

Jim saw Bones wander off toward a busty brunette out of the corner of his eye as he watched Spock become more and more absorbed in the artifact. He smiled and asked Dr. Marcus, "Could this technology be used to create specific environments?"

"Specific how?"

"Say you didn't want a jungle like the one you've got down here," he began. "What if you wanted a rocky desert?"

"Why would anyone want a rocky desert?"

Jim motioned his head toward Spock and realization dawned on Dr. Marcus' face.

"Actually," she began, "we are very close to having complete control over terraformed environments due to the research conducted here. Frankly, I'm surprised you care."

Jim left his first officer at the stone circle and followed Dr. Marcus to her workspace. An alcove in the cave provided a small measure of privacy around her desk.

"What's your problem with me, Dr. Marcus?" he asked her as she sat down. "I don't think it's personal because you, me, and both our bosses know that your equipment arriving late was not my fault."

She glared up at him and replied, "I've heard about you, and you're just like all the rest of these Starfleet captains. Scientists create progress in societies, but it's reckless cowboys like you and your father that are regarded as heroes for getting themselves and other people killed."

Jim felt his face flush in anger and leaned forward on his hands to be eye level with her. "I do what I do so that people like you can feel _entitled_ while doing what they do. My father died protecting people like you. Don't you ever offend his memory again."

"Scientists give their lives everyday for knowledge," Dr. Marcus insisted angrily. "_You_ shouldn't cheapen that."

He scoffed at her and said, "You don't know a damned thing about me. Don't pretend that you do!"

He stormed back to the turbolift leaving his chief medical officer and his first officer looking at each other with raised eyebrows.

* * *

The door chimed incessantly and Jim buried his head under his pillow. Mariella's voice soon joined the chiming. When she called him 'Jimbo,' he threw the covers off and opened the door. Mariella was standing on the other side grinning and holding out a leather jacket toward him.

"I'm taking the day off," he told her. "All I want to do is sleep. Why are you handing me your jacket?"

"It's your lucky jacket."

"I gave it you."

"But you're going to need it today."

"Huh?"

"I found something down on the surface you'll want to see. Come on. And wear something sturdy, yet comfortable."

Jim rolled his eyes, grabbed his jacket, and closed the door to get dressed. When he was finished, he trudged after his sister.

"What's all this about?"

"You'll see when we get there."

"I hate surprises."

"You'll love this one," she assured him as they stepped onto the transporter pad.

Jim felt the hot-cold sensation of the transporter before opening his eyes to flat grassland and a long, one-story building. The smell of hay, oats, and manure filled his nostrils.

"Is this…a stable?" he asked, slightly dazed as he walked toward the building.

"Yep," Mariella answered happily. "Pavel told me about it. He thought I might enjoy riding again."

"You're calling him Pavel?"

"I'm not in Starfleet. I can call him whatever I want."

A middle-aged man wearing muddy clothes and a cowboy hat emerged from the stable and leaned on the fence.

"Your sister there told me you were coming," he said. "Welcome to Goshen Stables, Captain Kirk."

Jim shook the man's hand and said, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, sir," he answered. "I'm from Texas."

Jim smiled. "So, you're Texan first, human second?"

"My parents named me Sam Houston and my family name is Travis. What do you think?" the man answered jovially. "Came here originally to study Midianite Kusars."

"Which are?" Mariella asked though she already knew the answer.

"Horses," Travis answered quickly. "They're almost genetically identical to Earth Arabians. They're all concentrated on this continent, though, so there's not the genetic variation we have back home."

"What kind do you keep here?" Jim asked, stepping onto the lowest railing of the fence.

"Palominos mostly," Travis replied, "but I've got a few Palomino-Kusar crossbreeds. They're strong, friendly, and fast."

Mariella smiled at Jim from her place astride the top rail of the fence. "How 'bout it, big brother? Wanna race?"

He returned her mischievous grin. "You think I need my lucky jacket to beat _you_?" he asked incredulously.

"You're gonna need all the help you can get, big brother."

"You're on, baby girl."

* * *

"Is there a reason we are all gathered here?" Spock asked.

"We're here to see the captain get his ass kicked by his little sister," Bones answered happily.

"Why would she want to kick him? He is her brother. They seem fond of one another."

Bones rolled his eyes and replied, "It's an expression, Spock."

The group from _Enterprise_ included the entire senior staff as well as Christine Chapel and Keenser. Only Spock was in uniform. Scotty was almost giddy with happily adjusted the cowboy hat on her head.

"This is going to be actual fun," she commented.

"What's going on?"

The senior staff looked over to see a woman wearing riding boots with her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"We are here to witness some sort of human sibling rivalry ritual," Spock answered after briefly nodding at the woman in acknowledgement.

"We're going to watch the captain race his little sister," Uhura explained. "I'm Lt. Uhura, and you are?"

"Dr. Carol Marcus," the other woman answered. "Sam's my ex-brother-in-law. I came down for my daily ride. I didn't expect a crowd."

"We all have shore leave," Uhura told her. "No offense, but there's not a whole lot to do around here."

"I completely agree," the blonde woman replied.

Jim and Mariella led their horses out of the stable and Carol gasped and said, "Oh my God."

"What?"

"It's just that girl. She looks like my thesis advisor, Winona Chase," Carol explained.

"That's probably because she was their mother," Uhura told her.

"_Their_ mother?"

"They had the same mom and different dads."

"Oh God," Carol moaned, rubbing her forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just owe your captain a big apology."

"Eet's starting," Chekov called to them.

"They should be wearing helmets," Bones grumbled.

"Is protective gear necessary for this activity?" Spock asked.

"Probably," Uhura answered, "but cowboys never wear protection, and Captain Kirk is nothing if not a cowboy."

"But Mariella is female."

Uhura looked at Carol and said, "It's like banging your head against a brick wall."

A shot rang out and both horses took off. Chekov, Scotty, and Uhura stood on the first rail of the fence to cheer them on.

"Mariella has a clear advantage," Spock stated.

"It's not all about the weight of the rider," Carol told him. "It's about how well the rider can control the horse."

The siblings had almost made a complete circuit of the track and Mariella was nearly a full length ahead of her brother. Then Mariella's horse buckled underneath her and fell forward. She jumped off before the horse could land on top of her and barely avoided being trampled by her brother's horse. The cheering suddenly ceased and Jim brought his horse to a skittish stop before jumping off. Chekov jumped over the fence while the others climbed through or followed his example before running to the site of the disaster. Jim got there first to find his little sister face down in the dirt.

"Baby girl! Baby girl, are you okay?" he asked as he grabbed his sister and turned her over.

The previously lifeless girl gasped in pain. "I think I dislocated my shoulder."

"Jim, you shouldn't move her. She could have a head injury," Bones said as he came to a halt next to them.

"I'm moving myself, jackass," Mariella growled at him. He glared in response.

"You are all vright?" Chekov asked, near-panic in his voice.

"Oh, I'm fine," Mariella assured him as she draped her good arm around her brother's neck while he pulled her up. "My shoulder could use improvement, though."

"Sam, what the hell happened?" Carol demanded as she walked toward the horseman knelt next to his unmoving horse. "Somebody could have died."

"Somebody did die," Sam answered quietly as he stroked the horse's mane. "He's gone. Neck snapped when he hit the dirt. Hoof landed in a hole at a full run, and that was it."

"Didn't you walk the track to make sure it was safe for a race?" Carol asked him.

"I'm only human," he excused.

"Ground radar is easily accessible to—" Uhura's elbow in his ribs effectively silenced Spock on that matter. "That was uncalled for, Lieutenant," he said quietly.

"Bones, let's get Mariella up to the ship to set her shoulder," Jim ordered. "Sulu, Spock, Scotty, help Sam get this horse off the track."

The two humans and the Vulcan moved to follow their captain's orders as Jim walked away with his arm still around his sister.

"Captain, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Jim rolled his eyes at the sound of Dr. Marcus' voice. He silently nodded to Uhura to take care of his sister and she nodded her understanding.

He turned to face the scientist and said, "What?"

"I, uh, I believe I owe you an apology," she began.

"Really?" he asked incredulously.

"I didn't realize Dr. Winona Chase was your mother," she explained. "She died saving my life and protecting the scientific endeavors of our group. It's why I'm so adamant about the sacrifices of scientists."

Jim folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head inquisitively. "You said something about an apology, but I didn't hear one."

Carol rolled her eyes and pursed her lips angrily. "I am _sorry_, Captain Kirk. I judged you without full knowledge of your background, and that was wrong of me."

Jim gave her a self-satisfied smile and said, "Apology accepted," before turning and walking away.

"What? That's it?"

Jim smiled slyly. "For now."

* * *

A/N: Can anybody tell me why I named the place Goshen Stables? Reviews are love, and thank you for all the reviews and alerts you've already given me. They are greatly appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10: Worth the Cost

A/N: Warning: Foul language and references to Star Trek: Enterprise ahead

* * *

"So, what's going on?" Jim asked as he and Spock quick-stepped toward colony's central government building.

"Minister Ezelle was quite vague, but he did say that it was urgent the newly arrived Federation ambassadors speak to us as soon as possible," Spock replied. "Sir, you are walking with a slight limp. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think I pulled something yesterday," he answered. "I haven't ridden a horse in a long time."

"Have you not seen Dr. McCoy for assistance?"

"I'm not going to Bones for a pulled muscle."

"It could be more serious. It is not agreeable for _Enterprise_ to be without—"

"Can it, Spock.

"Yes, Sir."

The doors to the minister's office slid open and Jim nearly choked on his own saliva. The ambassadors were two Vulcans, which was rare enough, but he easily recognized both of them. One was a woman with long, stone gray hair tied at the nape of her neck. Though Jim knew she had to be pushing two hundred years old, she was still beautiful. It was Ambassador T'Pol, the last remnant of a bygone era. The other one was Spock, from an alternate future.

Jim eyed the younger Vulcan on his right and was surprised to read the hint of shock on his face. Someone who didn't know him would have missed it completely, but the captain knew his first officer well enough to see it. He just couldn't tell what was shocking him more: T'Pol or his older self. He decided it must have been T'Pol, or the sight of Vulcans in general.

Minister Ezelle excused himself leaving the other four in an awkward silence.

"Captain Kirk," T'Pol said, stepping forward, "it is an immense pleasure to finally meet you."

"The feeling is mutual," Jim answered formally. "This is my first officer, Commander Spock."

"Commander," T'Pol nodded in greeting. "This is my associate, Tos."

"Tos…right," Jim replied, stilted and obviously uncomfortable.

"We have dual purpose here," T'Pol began. "The first, and official reason is to survey the terraforming technology for use on the new Vulcan colony."

"And the unofficial reason?" Jim asked.

T'Pol glanced back at "Tos" briefly before continuing, "Your concerns about your step-brother have quickly circulated around the Federation Security Council. Naturally, it is a great concern."

"I'm surprised you've responded so quickly," Jim said, eyeing them warily.

"As the ambassador stated earlier," "Tos" interrupted, " we were already on our way here. Admiral Nathanson briefed us on your situation last night. Midian III being so close to the Klingon border coupled with the presence of _Enterprise_ is especially disconcerting."

"Admiral Nathanson thought that this message coming from myself would be more…"

"Like a kick in the ass?" Jim finished.

"Precisely," she answered.

Jim's brow furrowed in confusion at the ambassador's agreement with his assessment.

She smiled slightly, which looked odd on a Vulcan, and said, "Be on your guard, Captain Kirk. I will leave you gentlemen alone now."

When she was gone, Jim looked quickly between the two Vulcans remaining in the room. The silence grew more and more uncomfortable as they stared at one another.

Finally, Jim said, "Okay, the space-time continuum isn't about to collapse and rip the universe apart, is it?"

The Vulcans looked at him and flatly answered, "No."

Jim rolled his eyes and replied, "Well, that's good to know. No offense to either of you, but one of you in my life is bad enough. I really don't need both of you. What is going on?"

"I am accompanying the ambassador on her mission here," the elder Spock answered. "It is, as you would say, my job."

"I find that difficult to believe," the younger Spock replied.

"What he said," Kirk added. "There's a reason for everything you do. Why are you here?"

"This timeline is radically different," Spock said. "Relations with the Klingons are worse than I remember, and there is a player that did not exist."

Jim's face fell. "Isaac," he said quietly. "My father didn't die where you come from. I didn't have a step-father or a step-brother."

"That is correct. If he is not stopped, I fear Federation-Klingon relations will deteriorate and might even be irreparable."

"You seriously think one man can make that big a difference?"

"Captain," the younger Spock interrupted, "you and I both know one man is more than enough to change the fate of an entire universe."

"Be careful. Both of you," he warned.

After another long, awkward silence, the younger Spock said, "May I assume we are excused?"

"You may."

The two younger men turned to leave, but the old man saying, "Jim?" stopped the man in question dead in his tracks.

The captain turned to his first officer and said, "Tell Uhura to intercept and interpret any Klingon transmissions she can find."

"Understood, Sir," Spock answered, before briefly nodding and walking away. Jim appreciated that his first officer wasn't overly curious.

"It creeps me the hell out when you call me by my name," Jim told him. "_He_ hardly ever does that and I don't even really know you. By the way, does Ambassador T'Pol know who you _actually_ are?"

"She does."

"That figures," Jim said, sitting on the edge of the minister's desk. "She's probably the only person alive that wouldn't lock you up in the loony bin and throw away the key."

Spock had a knowing expression in his eyes as he said, "Why do you believe that?"

Jim smiled. "I'm a Starfleet captain," he replied. "I have access to Archer's classified Delphic Expanse files. I know T'Pol spent some time with…well, herself. But you already knew that. I'm betting _he's_ not going to be my right-hand-man forever."

"I would not be so sure of that," Spock warned.

"Is there some _specific_ reason you called me back in here?"

"Dr. Marcus."

"Huh?" Jim asked, unable to hide his surprise.

"She is more than just another woman," Spock told him.

"Could you be less cryptic?"

"I am afraid not," Spock answered before walking out the door.

Jim groaned and said, "God, sometimes I hate them both."

He walked out the door and straight into another person. He managed to stay on his feet by holding onto _her_ waist. He managed to hold in another groan when he realized the woman in his arms was Carol Marcus.

He quickly let go and said, "Sorry."

She straightened her clothes and said, "I was looking for Minister Ezelle. Is he in his office?"

"Uh, no," Jim answered. "He left so we could have a meeting with the new Federation ambassadors."

"So you just threw a man out of his own office?"

"You think I _wanted_ to get an ass kicking from an admiral via an ambassador?"

"You Starfleet types are just so entitled."

Jim threw his arms in the air and laughed mirthlessly. "Why do you care? Are you fucking the minister?"

Jim knew he should have phrased the question differently as soon as her hand crossed his face and a nail split his lip. He wiped the blood with the back of his hand and said, "I sort of deserved that."

On his way out of the door, he saw the older Spock and T'Pol staring at him. He looked at the man and said, "You are out of your Vulcan mind!"

* * *

Chekov pressed the door chime at Mariella's quarters. Her reply was barely audible. The door opened to reveal the girl rushing to dry her tears while lying on her disheveled bed.

"Vat eez vrong," he asked as he set the PADD in his hand aside and sat down next to her on the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"It's nothing," she replied, a sob just under the surface of her voice. "It's that I…it…I didn't think…it's just so hard to…I'm an orphan."

She took in a deep, shaky breath at that last realization. Pavel tucked a blonde curl behind her ear and turned her head toward him.

"Both of dyour parents being dead does not mean dyou are an orphan any more zan hafing many people vrelated to dyou mean dyou haf family," he told her.

She looked up at him and said, "I know you're not speaking from your own experience."

"No, not mine," he admitted. "Eet vas my best friend as a boy, Pyotr."

"Your best friend's name was Pyotr?" Mariella asked, grinning.

"Da," Pavel anwered, smiling sheepishly and rolling his eyes.

"Peter and Paul?" she said, starting to laugh. "That's just funny."

"Is vat my grandmozer tought," he explained. "Is not point though. His parents vere scientists. Dey vere wery inwolved in their vork. Dey barely noticed ven he vas gone. His grand parents and aunts and uncles vere all dee same. He vas an orphan though he had many relatives. Dyou are an orphan in name only, unlike Pyotr."

She smiled up at him and kissed him on the lips. "You're catching onto the right thing to say and when," she told him.

"Is good I hope," he replied.

"What did you bring me?"

"A story," Pavel said, picking up his discarded PADD. "Von ov my faworites."

She looked at it and grinned. "A story about an orphan who saves the world?"

"Only after he realizes he is newer alone," Pavel said, returning her smile.

"Read it to me," she said, nestling her head into his chest.

"Vill you be able to understand me?" he asked sheepishly.

"I understand you fine," she told him. "Read."

He smiled and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley ov number four, Priwet Drive, ver proud to say dat dey ver perfectly normal, sank you wery much."

* * *

"What exactly did you say to her?"

"I asked her if she was fucking the minister."

"Did you ask her like that?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus, Jim, usually you're so much better than that with women."

"Thank you, Bones, I really appreciate that."

"Well, you should be fine," Bones told him. "Just try not to get smacked for the next couple of days."

Jim rolled his eyes and said, "I'll do my best."

"Have you thought that maybe you like Dr. Marcus?"

"Not you too," Jim complained, stopping on his way to the door.

"Too?"

"Nevermind," Jim told him. "What are you talking about?"

"I figure crudely asking a woman about her sex life is the almost mature adult equivalent of pulling her pigtails," Bones explained.

"I do _not_ like the woman," Jim assured him. "As a matter of fact, I _loathe_ the woman. If I never see her again, it will be too soon."

"Whatever you say, Jim," Bones muttered as his captain stomped into the corridor.

* * *

"Nyota?" Mariella asked.

"Umhmm," Uhura answered, listening more to the transmission from her ear-wick than to Mariella.

"How do you know when you're in love?"

Uhura nearly choked on her soup and removed the device from her ear. Mariella grinned.

"I thought that would get your attention," the younger woman said.

"I'm sorry, it's just that the captain wants every Klingon transmission intercepted and translated and I'm the only person on the ship who speaks it fluently," Uhura explained. "Were you serious about what you said?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to ask my brother. I couldn't really ask my dad, and the subject never came up before my mom died," Mariella explained. "You're sort of my only option."

"I can't say I really know the answer," Uhura said. "There's a lot of clichés: you get butterflies in your stomach, you can't imagine ever being with anyone else, but I've never experienced that. I think it's just something that sneaks up on you. One day you just wake up and realize that seeing the other person is the best part of your day, and that, no matter what, that other person will always get you through. Real love isn't some grand romance. It's a lot simpler than that."

Tears silently rolled down her cheeks. Mariella bit her lip sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry, Nyota. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine," Uhura answered, standing up and gathering her things. "I-I'm just going to go down to the surface. A natural setting should help me think."

Mariella lost her appetite and pushed her food away as her friend rushed out into the corridor.

* * *

Same precipice. Same brown sky. Same Spock sitting next to her, staring into the Vulcan landscape.

"You're off-duty. You're meditating, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Is that the only time this can happen: when you're meditating and I'm dreaming or daydreaming?"

"I do not know."

"No one ever had this talk with you?" she asked factiously. "Your parents were so irresponsible."

"Please do not speak of my parents in that fashion."

She let the silence linger for a few more moments before saying, "We shouldn't have ended our relationship and then had sex."

"I did not ask you—"

"I know you didn't," Uhura cut him off. "It was my choice and it was stupid."

Spock looked down into the deep gorge beneath them. "I am sorry you feel that way."

She placed her hand under his chin and turned his head to look at her. "I didn't mean having sex," she explained. "I meant breaking up with you in the first place. I've been giving Chekov and Mariella romantic advice for weeks and I'm the idiot who gave up the best thing that ever happened because I was uncomfortable."

"I—"

"Please don't say anything," she asked. "I told Chekov that the right person would always forgive you for your mistakes. I hope you can forgive me."

The emotionless mask Spock always wore slipped off and confusion replaced it. He opened his mouth to reply, but the voice Uhura heard was female.

"Lieutenant?"

Uhura looked up at an aged, Vulcan woman with long, gray hair draped over one shoulder. Even though the years had changed her, she still seemed like the hero from Uhura's history books.

"Ambassador T'Pol," she said as she jumped up and brushed the grass off of her uniform. "I'm sorry. I was…somewhere else."

"Will you walk with me, Lieutenant?" T'Pol asked. "It is not good for an old woman to be alone."

"Of course," Uhura answered, offering the ambassador her arm.

T'Pol looped her arm through the young lieutenant's and they walked slowly, in silence, along the banks of the Aloran River.

"I remember you," T'Pol said finally.

"You do?" Uhura asked, clearly surprised.

"You were one of the honor students at the opening of the Sato Linguistics Lab at Starfleet Academy," the Vulcan woman explained. "You were hard to forget."

"Why?"

"You clearly adored your instructor," T'Pol answered flatly. "He was Vulcan. It was unusual, even then."

"He's half-human," Uhura replied, unsure of what else to say.

"I know," T'Pol said, "but he mostly ignores his human side, does he not?"

"He does."

"To deny oneself a part of themselves is foolish," T'Pol said wisely. "Will you sit with me? I have something I feel I must tell you."

"Of course," Uhura answered, sitting down next to the woman on a rustic wooden bench.

"Do you know why I am an outcast among my people?"

"Not entirely."

"I chose humans," T'Pol explained simply. "Many Vulcans feel you are inferior to us, but I that in many ways, you are far superior."

"How so?"

"You do not have to suppress your emotions to live peaceably in the universe," T'Pol said. "I learned so much from your species. Even my bondmate was human."

Uhura's ears piqued at the word, "bondmate." "I didn't think you were married. Who was your bondmate, if I'm not overstepping my bounds?"

"Charles Tucker III."

Uhura's eyes widened in surprise. "I heard rumors, but I didn't think they were true."

"I felt him die," T'Pol informed her. "It was as though a part of me died as well."

"Was it worth it?" Uhura asked her. "Was it worth being so connected to someone even when they died before you?"

"Yes," T'Pol answered quickly.

Uhura smiled and said, "Thank you, I have to go."

She didn't look back to see the Vulcan woman smiling at her.

* * *

Spock stood up as he heard the door chime. The door slid open to reveal Uhura on the other side. He took a deep breath and said, "I will always forgive you, and I hope you will always forgive me."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him softly but firmly on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them.

* * *

A/N: In case you didn't know, the book Chekov read from is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, or Philosopher's Stone if you live anywhere but America. It seemed appropriate. I made multiple references to Star Trek: Enterprise and even included a whole character. If you didn't get it, I'm sorry. You should check the series out though. It had great moments of brilliance in a mediocre sea, but its brilliance is well worth it. Thanks for the reviews and alerts.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11: If I Can't Swim

A/N: Some foul language and the taking of the Lord's name in vain ahead...

* * *

"Did you hear? Spock and Uhura got back together last night," Sulu announced to his friends at the breakfast table.

"That's not exactly shocking," Scotty replied. "What I'm waiting for is this lad here to get stupid enough to sleep with the captain's sister."

"Vat?" Chekov asked, looking up, wide-eyed.

Sulu sputtered a laugh and said, "You've got it bad."

"Vat haf I got?" Chekov asked.

"You're in love, lad," Scotty told him.

"How-how do you know?" Chekov asked earnestly.

Scotty and Sulu looked at each other and grinned. "It's obvious," Sulu explained. "You light up every time you see blonde, curly hair because it _might _be her. And you're clumsier than normal when she's _actually_ around. I'm just surprised you two are still keeping this a secret from the captain."

"Vee are not keeping a secret," Chekov argued. "Vee just haf not said anysing yet."

"That's a secret, boy-o," Scotty replied.

"Zen, should I tell zee keptin?"

"No!" Sulu and Scotty answered in unison. Chekov nearly shrank into his seat.

"_She_ is Kirk's sister," Sulu began. "He's not going kill her, court martial her, or make her life miserable."

"So, Mariella should tell zee keptin?"

"No, this is something you and her have to do together," Scotty told him. "Talk to _her _about it."

Chekov's brow furrowed in confusion. "Vy are you two experts on zis sort ov ting?"

The two other men glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Sulu answered, "Uh…we've learned a lot from the mistakes of others. We're good observers."

"Oh. Zat makes sense. I must go. I haf a limited duty sheeft on zee bridge," Chekov said before standing and leaving the mess hall.

Scotty breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Nice work there, Lieutenant. I'd hate for the boy to think we're full of shite."

"But we are."

"Aye. But _he_ doesn't have to know that."

* * *

Sometimes it was just necessary to let go. That was the thing Jim loved about riding a horse. You could let go and trust the animal not to kill you in a fiery blaze. He liked letting go, leaning back, spreading his arms wide and tilting his face skyward. It was a pose he'd seen of a statue of an American Indian when he was little. It stuck with him for some reason. He preferred riding like that than galloping at high speed. That's what motorcycles were for.

Mario, Jim's chosen steed for the afternoon, slowed to a stop. Jim opened his eyes to find himself atop an incline before the river. He hopped out of the saddle and led Mario down the short slope and patted his neck at the gelding drank.

The river was only a few meters wide and flowed calmly downstream. He remembered from his reading on the planet that the river was also only a few feet deep. A well-worn path on the other bank led into the woods.

Smiling, he asked, "What do you think, Mario? Should we be adventurous?"

Mario neighed and bobbed his head up and down. Jim smiled and said, "I'll take that as a yes," before climbing back into the saddle and urging Mario into the water.

Halfway across, Mario stopped and started struggling to move forward. Jim tightened his grip on the reins and said, "Whoa, boy. What's wrong? Are you stuck? I'll see if I can get you out."

He had his right foot almost out of the stirrup when the sound of rushing water hit his ears. He looked up in time to see a foamy wave headed downstream straight toward them.

"Oh, shit!" he yelled before the wave hit and knocked him out of the saddle. Unfortunately, his left foot remained entrenched in the stirrup. He bobbed up and down violently, gasping for air when he came out of the foam. He gasped in as much air as possible and held onto a rock to stay under the surface. He saw the weeds tangled around Mario's leg and pulled them loose. Mario bolted forward. Jim was sure he felt something snap as his foot popped out of the stirrup. Pain shot through the back of his head, and then he knew nothing.

* * *

A fire burned in his chest. Only air could extinguish the blaze. He gasped to bring in air only to cough up the fire in his lungs.

"Jesus Christ! Motherfucker!" Jim screamed after he coughed up a lungful of river water.

"I really don't think Jesus Christ was a motherfucker, but that's just my opinion."

Jim looked up to find Carol Marcus leaning over him with his head cradled in her lap. It barely registered in his brain that she was as wet as him. In the back of his mind, he vaguely wondered if he'd died and gone to hell.

"What-what happened?" he asked, shaking and sputtering uncontrollably.

"A snowcap on one of the mountains melted suddenly," she explained. "It caused a flash flood."

"Mario?" he asked, nearly choking on the word.

"He ran off, but he was tagged, so Sam'll find him."

"You? Why…how are…?"

"I take a ride everyday around now," she told him. "I saw what happened."

Jim looked up with her with as much confusion as his weakened state would allow. "You pulled me out?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she replied. "You'd already drifted to the bank...mostly."

Shooting, debilitating pain in his left side met him as he tried to sit up. Carol gently pulled him back down and said, "I think Mario trampled you. You probably have a few broken ribs."

"I-I-I can't breathe," he gasped between coughs.

"Help is on the way. Just hang on."

She shook at the sight of Jim's blood on her hand. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he shivered in shock.

"Tell Mariella…I'm sorry," he gasped out.

"Don't say things like that," she told him, shaking him to keep him from slipping out of consciousness.

"You know, you're beautiful when you're not screaming at me," he rasped with a stupid smile.

Carol grinned in spite of the situation. She shook him as his eyes closed and blood flowed from his mouth. "Don't do this! Don't do this!" she screamed. "Jim!"

* * *

"It's a good thing you were there. He would have drowned right there in the river if you hadn't given him mouth-to-mouth," Bones said.

Carol looked down at her shoes. "It doesn't seem to have done him much good," she replied sadly.

"He's alive," Bones said simply before turning away from her. He walked toward Spock and Uhura and sighed before saying, "He's unconscious and therefore unable to command his ship. You're in command now, Spock."

"Thank you, Doctor," Spock replied flatly.

"Yeah, I guess," Bones muttered before walking back into the patient ward where they were keeping Jim.

Spock turned to Uhura and said, "Preliminary reports indicate that the snow cap did not melt naturally. The minister has agreed to allow Starfleet its own investigation. I must return to the _Enterprise_, but—"

"Yes, I will," she answered, cutting him off. "I'll stay here and contact you the moment he wakes up."

"Thank you, Nyota," he said quietly before excusing himself.

Uhura watched as Chekov rushed in and immediately wrapped his arms around his distraught girlfriend. One of his hands tangled in her blonde curls as he pressed his lips to her forehead and then whispered something in her ear. She wrapped her arms around more tightly around his midsection. The young lieutenant drifted toward the scientist staring uncertainly into the captain's room.

"They're a cute couple," Carol said, motioning toward Chekov and Mariella. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"No," Uhura answered, shaking her head. "They haven't told him yet. I don't blame them. I'm not sure how he's going to react either."

"You know why he nearly drowned?" Carol asked rhetorically. "He freed his horse instead of letting it die in the river. What was his reward: a concussion, broken ribs, cracked tibia, and a punctured lung. He can be a son of a bitch, but he doesn't deserve this. He was just trying to do a good thing."

"He can be annoying as hell, but he's a good man," Uhura told her. "You should give him a little more credit."

"I should leave," Carol said suddenly. "He's your family, not mine."

She rushed out of the infirmary before Uhura could stop her. She found herself straightening up when the Vulcan ambassadors walked into the room. Since Chekov and Dr. McCoy were otherwise engaged, she took it upon herself to greet them.

"Lieutenant Uhura," T'Pol said first, "Admiral Nathanson is highly concerned about this situation. Is your captain's situation improved at all?"

"He's alive," Uhura answered. "That's really all we know."

"We have heard rumors of sabotage," the male Vulcan Uhura knew as Tos said.

"Commander Spock is launching an investigation to find out if that's true."

"Please keep us informed," T'Pol asked her. "The loss of the flagship's captain could be…problematic in the current political climate."

"I'll certainly do that, Ambassador," Uhura promised.

As the Vulcans turned to leave, Uhura heard T'Pol ask, "What effect would the loss of James Kirk have on the universe?"

"It would be too disastrous to consider."

Uhura gulped and stared hopefully at her captain when she heard Tos' reply.

* * *

"I'd say the problem is it's been smashed to smithereens," Scotty said as he ran his tricorder over the remains of a device on the top of the mountain.

Had Spock been human, he would have rolled his eyes at the engineer. Being half-Vulcan, he simply fixed Scotty with a stern glare. Scotty cleared his throat and continued, "It wasn't an accident. I was situated in such a way that naturally falling rocks wouldn't harm it. It didn't explode from the inside either. None of these components are scorched in any way. They're just smashed."

"I've got a rock over here looks like it could have done the job," a science ensign announced from a few feet away. "There's no moss and it looks like it's been chipped recently."

"Look for DNA," Spock told him. "Mr. Scott, do you have any idea what this device was before it was, as you say, 'smashed to smithereens?'"

"Well, judging by the design and some of the components, I'd say it was some sort of environmental control device," Scotty replied. "It's similar in design to that terraforming device they've got in the basement. I'd say whoever terraformed Midian III placed these devices to control the weather and what-not afterward."

Spock looked down the mountain. His brow furrowed as though he was thinking quite hard.

"Penny for your thoughts, Commander?" Scotty asked.

"Mr. Scott, how long after the destruction of that device would the snow start melting?"

"It'd be pretty quick if the conditions were anything like they are right now," Scotty answered. "It's warm up here for the top of a mountain."

"Still, it would take a few minutes to reach the main body of the river," Spock thought.

"Aye, sir. What's your point?"

"Even though Captain Kirk's horse was tagged, it is unlikely this device was destroyed as part of an attack on him personally," the Vulcan explained. "The timing would have had to have been impeccable if not impossible."

"That's true," Scotty agreed, "but then what _was_ the point. The Midianites say this won't have much impact on their ecosystem."

"Sir, I ran the DNA I found through the Federation database," the ensign said, handing a PADD to Spock.

The Vulcan glanced at it and replied, "Are you absolutely certain about this?"

"The DNA strands were intact, Sir."

Spock handed the PADD to Scotty and said, "We need to return to the ship as soon as possible."

Scotty's eyes widened when he saw Isaac Chase's picture and DNA profile staring back at him. "Great Scot," he mumbled in shock.

* * *

Jim felt like there was an elephant resting on his chest. The incessant beeping in his ears told him he was in an infirmary. His sister was curled up on the couch underneath a blanket. Uhura was on the other side, her head resting in her hand. To his left, sitting in a chair was a sight he hadn't expected at all.

"Dr. Marcus?" he asked, his voice extremely hoarse.

"Yeah," she answered. "I thought I'd give your sister and the lieutenant a break. Your first officer is out chasing a lead."

"Does he know anything?"

"He preferred not to share his conclusions until he has all the facts," Carol replied a hint of a laugh in her voice.

"That sounds like him," Jim groaned. "Why are you here?"

"I told you. I wanted to give you sister a break."

"That's bullshit," he told her flatly. "Why are you really here?"

Carol sighed and said, "I wanted to make sure you were all right. Dr. McCoy didn't sound too sure earlier today."

Jim smirked. "You mean you actually care?" he asked incredulously.

"Contrary to what you think, I'm not a heartless bitch," she hissed. "I have feelings. You're an amazingly good person. You nearly gave up your life for a defenseless animal, and when you thought you were dying, all you wanted to do was apologize to your sister for not being there for her. How could I not care about someone like that?"

He genuinely smiled and said, "Do you want to have dinner with me?"

Carol's eyes widened. "You're asking me on a date? You're in a hospital bed."

"So?"

She threw her arms up in surrender. "Fine. We'll do it sometime after you can walk and before your ship leaves."

"Deal," he replied, grinning.

"Jim?" Mariella asked, sitting up on the couch. "Jim, you're awake!"

Uhura's head slipped out of her hand and she was immediately awake. "Hey, Captain. Glad you're awake. I have to call Spock."

"I should go," Carol said, smiling.

"I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I guess you will."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Jim asked his first officer.

"I checked the DNA myself," Spock informed him. "The sample belongs to Isaac Chase."

"It doesn't make sense," Mariella said from her place at the end of Jim's bed. "We think Isaac's working for the Klingons. What motive would they have for destroying an ancient weather control device?"

"I believe Mr. Chase's motives may have been personal," Spock explained. "He was seen forty-eight hours ago in a small town twenty kilometers from here. Apparently, he argued with a merchant who refused to buy goods from him. When the river flooded, it damaged a power station, and the town was without power for nearly twelve hours. Most of the shopkeeper's inventory was destroyed."

"Still doesn't make sense," Mariella told him.

"She's right," Jim agreed. "If Isaac was out for revenge, he would have just burned the shop down. There has to be another reason. Find out what else was connected to that power station. Our answer has got to be in there somewhere. And try to find Isaac. He may still be on the planet somewhere."

"Understood, Sir," Spock replied before quickly leaving the room.

Jim attempted to smile at his sister. "Your birthday is tomorrow."

"Some birthday," she mused. "My brothers are apparently trying to kill each other."

"It'll be okay," he told her, taking her hand. "I promised you a dress. Do you think you can wait a couple of days?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Do you think you'll find Isaac?"

"No," Jim replied flatly. "He's not a complete idiot. Whatever he was up to, he got off the planet as soon as he was finished. I have a bad feeling about this, baby girl."

"I know. So do I."

* * *

A/N: I thought the sculpture Jim thinks about was real, but I can't find it anywhere, so it's possible I just made it up through years of cowboy and Indian art. Hope you enjoyed it.


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